CONTAINER WITH EXPANDABLE DIVIDER FOR USED AND UNUSED CONSUMER GOODS

Abstract

The container may comprise a box, a lid, at least a first and a second set of consumables, and an expandable divider. The expandable divider includes at least one divider weakening line. This at least one divider weakening line is provided on the divider's bottom wall. The expandable divider has an initial size defined by an initial distance between the first and second side walls to accommodate a predetermined number of consumables. The divider weakening line is configured to break when more than the predetermined number of consumables is inserted between the walls of the expandable divider, causing the first and second side walls to separate further. Methods of using the described containers are also outlined.

Description

CONTAINER WITH EXPANDABLE DIVIDER FOR USED AND UNUSED CONSUMER GOODS This description refers to containers that can hold both used and unused consumer goods, in particular bar-shaped consumer goods. The disposal of used supplies is a well-known problem in the tobacco industry and contributes to waste problems worldwide. After consuming an aerosol-generating item, such as a cigarette, it can be difficult for a user to find a convenient location to dispose of the used item. For example, the user may not be near an ashtray or a suitable waste container. Therefore, in some circumstances, the user may find it difficult to properly dispose of the used item. This problem can be exacerbated when the aerosol-generating item is heated during use without combustion. For example, several aerosol-generating systems are known in which an aerosol-generating item, which may be similar in size and shape to a cigarette, is electrically heated instead of burned. In such systems, the item may be approximately the same size both before and after use.Therefore, the disposal of such items can be more difficult for a user when compared to a conventional cigarette, of which essentially only the filter typically remains after use. Therefore, it would be convenient to provide a convenient way for a user to handle the disposal of used aerosol-generating items. According to aspects of the present invention, a container for consumer goods, particularly bar-shaped consumer goods, is provided. The container may comprise a box, a lid, at least a first and a second set of consumer goods, and an expandable divider. The box is for housing the consumer goods and comprises a front wall, a rear wall, a bottom wall, and two opposite side walls. The top of the box is at least partially open to provide an access opening for the consumer goods. The lid is rotatably connected to the rear wall of the box along a hinge line. The lid is movable along the hinge line between a closed position, where the lid covers the access opening, and an open position, where the access opening is exposed.The expandable divider comprises a first side wall, a second opposite side wall, a bottom wall positioned between the first and second side walls, and at least one divider weakening line provided on the bottom wall of the divider. The expandable divider has an initial size defined by an initial distance between the first and second side walls to contain a predetermined number of consumable items. The expandable divider is placed inside the box between the first and second sets of consumable items. The first side wall of the expandable divider may be adjacent to the first set of consumable items, and the second side wall of the expandable divider may be adjacent to the second set of consumable items.The separator's de-energization line is configured to break when more than the predetermined number of consumable items are inserted between the walls of the expandable separator, so that the first and second side walls of the expandable separator separate even further. Aspects of the invention may also include methods for using a consumable item container. The method comprises obtaining a consumable item container. The container may comprise a box, a lid, at least a first and a second set of consumable items, and an expandable divider. The box is for housing the consumable items and comprises a front box wall, a rear box wall, a bottom box wall, and two opposite side box walls. The top face of the box is at least partially open to provide an access opening for accessing the consumable items. The lid is rotatably connected to the rear wall of the box along a hinge line. The lid is movable along the hinge line between a closed position where the lid covers the access opening and an open position where the access opening is exposed.The expandable divider comprises a first side wall, a second opposite side wall, a bottom wall positioned between the first and second side walls, and at least one divider delimitation line provided on the bottom wall. The expandable divider has an initial size defined by an initial distance between the first and second side walls to contain a predetermined number of consumable items. The expandable divider is placed inside the box between the first and second sets of consumable items. The first side wall of the expandable divider may be adjacent to the first set of consumable items, and the second side wall of the expandable divider may be adjacent to the second set of consumable items.After the insertion of more than the predetermined number of consumables into the expandable separator, the separator's weakening line is configured to break, further separating the first and second side walls of the expandable separator. A subsequent step in a method described herein may include removing a first portion of the inner lining covering the first set of consumables by breaking the first weakening line of the inner lining and at least a portion of the second weakening line of the inner lining. A further step may include removing a first consumable from the first set of consumables. The consumables may be used before the first consumable is placed in the expandable separator. The containers and methods configured as described above can provide a consumer with an easy solution for containing used consumer goods, specifically all the goods placed in the container, until the container and its contents can be disposed of properly and responsibly. Even more advantageously, the container is no larger than existing containers. Furthermore, the containers described herein are easy to use and can hold both used and unused consumer goods, keeping them separate. The containers described herein facilitate the insertion of the first used consumer goods into the container without snagging the inner lining.In some particularly described containers, the expandable separator may include odor absorbers that can advantageously reduce the transmission of odor or taste from used consumer goods to unused consumer goods. The box comprises a front wall, a back wall, a bottom wall, and two opposite side walls, wherein the top face of the box is at least partially open to provide an access opening for the consumer goods contained therein. The front wall of the box may include a notch. The notch may alert the consumer that the container is designed to hold used goods. The notch may provide an alternative way for the consumer to place the used goods in the expandable divider instead of having to insert them vertically into the top opening of the container. The notch may have a length along the top periphery of the box that is the same as the initial distance between the first and second side walls of the expandable divider. The lid comprises a top lid wall, a rear lid wall, a front lid wall, and two opposing side lid walls. The lid is rotatably connected to the rear wall of the box along a hinge or hinge line. The lid is movable along the hinge between a closed position, where the lid covers the access opening of the box, and an open position, where the access opening of the box is exposed. The side lid wall, the front lid wall, and the rear lid wall can be aligned, respectively, in the same plane with the side wall of the box, the side wall of the box, and the rear wall of the box when the lid is in the closed position. The container comprising the box and lid may be made of any suitable material, including, but not limited to, cardboard, plastic, metal, or combinations thereof. The cardboard may have a weight of between approximately 100 grams per square meter and approximately 350 grams per square meter. Preferably, the box and lid are formed from a single sheet. Containers according to the invention may be in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped with right-angled longitudinal and transverse edges. Alternatively, the container may include one or more rounded longitudinal edges, one or more rounded transverse edges, one or more beveled longitudinal edges, one or more beveled transverse edges, or combinations thereof.When the container includes one or more rounded edges, the starting pieces that form the container (box and lid) preferably include three, four, five, six, or seven tear lines or fold lines to form each rounded edge in the assembled container. The tear lines or fold lines may be on the inside or outside of the container. Preferably, the tear lines or fold lines are spaced between approximately 0.3 mm and approximately 4 mm apart. The container is sized to hold at least two sets of consumer goods: a first set and a second set. The first set is positioned adjacent to the first wall of the box, and the second set is positioned adjacent to the second wall. Preferably, the consumer goods are elongated, such as bar-shaped items. The bar-shaped items can be described by their diameter. Containers according to the invention are particularly useful as containers for aerosol-generating articles or components of aerosol-generating articles. Before its first opening, the filled container can be wrapped in an outer covering. The quantity of consumer goods in each bundle contained in the containers according to the invention may vary. In some particular embodiments, the bundles of consumer goods may include a single row of consumer goods, and in some embodiments, the bundles may include more than one row of consumer goods. In some particular embodiments, each bundle of consumer goods may include two rows of at least 5 consumer goods or at least two rows of 10 consumer goods. The containers described herein may also include an inner liner. The inner liner serves to enclose at least the first and second sets of consumer goods. The inner liner may also serve to enclose the expandable divider. The inner liner includes a first line of weakening that is generally vertical, running from the bottom of the box to the top. In particular, the first line of weakening may preferably be positioned along or between the first or second side wall of the expandable divider when the inner liner and the expandable divider are positioned in the box. The inner liner also includes a second line of weakening that may extend parallel to a plane from one side wall of the box to the other.In particular, the second inner lining weakening line may preferably be located near or adjacent to the bottom wall of the box when the inner lining is placed inside the box and encloses the first and second sets of consumer goods. In some embodiments, the second inner lining weakening line may extend from one side wall of the box to the second side wall of the box. The first inner lining weakening line and at least a portion of the second inner lining weakening line may be broken by removing a portion of the inner lining covering the first or second set of consumer goods.In particular, a first portion of the inner lining covering the first set of consumer goods can be removed by breaking the first line of weakening of the inner lining and at least a portion of the second line of weakening of the inner lining. The internal lining can be made of any suitable material, including, but not limited to, paper, polymeric materials, metal sheets, other materials, or combinations thereof. The containers described herein also include an expandable divider. The expandable divider includes a first side wall, a second opposite side wall, and a bottom wall. The bottom wall of the expandable divider includes a first edge adjacent to the first side wall and a second opposite edge adjacent to the second side wall. The bottom wall is positioned between the first side wall and the second side wall. The expandable divider Ln / zznz / E / YiAi may also include side fins. Each of the first and second side walls may have two side fins. The side fins may be formed by fold lines on the perimeters of the first and second side walls, respectively. The side fins may function to provide the expandable divider with additional structural integrity both before and after the divider's weakening line is broken. The side fins may also function to more easily allow the two side walls to slide into the box once the divider's weakening line has been broken. The expandable divider is designed so that the distance between its side walls can be expanded. This is achieved by breaking the bottom wall of at least one of the side walls. The expandable divider can be described as having an initial size that is partially defined by the initial distance between the first and second side walls. This initial distance between the two side walls can be at least as large as the width of a consumer good to be contained within the divider. The initial size of the expandable divider can accommodate a predetermined number of consumer goods. Preferably, the initial distance between the two side walls can be at least as large as the diameter of a bar-shaped product to be contained within the divider.Preferably, the initial size of the expandable divider can hold at least two consumer goods, or the default quantity of consumer goods is two. The expandable divider is placed inside the box between the first and second sets of consumer goods. The first side wall of the expandable divider may be adjacent to the first set of consumer goods. The second side wall of the expandable divider may be adjacent to the second set of consumer goods. The expandable divider is not attached to any portion of the box and is at least partially contained within it. The expandable divider is also initially contained within the inner lining. The expandable divider includes at least one divider weakening line. This at least one divider weakening line may be positioned on the bottom wall of the divider. In some preferred embodiments, the at least one divider weakening line may be positioned along the first edge of the bottom wall or along the second edge of the bottom wall. The at least one divider weakening line is configured to break when more than the predetermined number of consumer goods are inserted into the expandable divider, such that the first and second side walls of the expandable divider are forced beyond their limits. The expandable divider expands toward whichever set was removed from which the consumer good was removed to account for the additional quantity of goods inserted.For example, if the default quantity is two, when the third consumer good is inserted into the expandable separator, the expandable separator will expand into whichever bundle the third consumer good was removed from. Specifically, if the third consumer good was removed from the first bundle, used, and then placed into the expandable separator, the expandable separator will expand into the first bundle. If consumer goods were removed from both bundles, the expandable separator can expand into either bundle. Once the entire first set of consumables has been used and placed in the expandable divider, the first wall of the expandable divider may have been closer to the first side wall of the box (assuming all consumables were removed from the first set) by placing the consumables in the expandable divider. Removing the portion of the inner lining covering the first set of consumables exposes the first set of consumables to the user and allows the first side wall of the expandable divider to move more easily toward the first side wall of the box as additional consumables from the first set are placed in the space between the first side wall of the expandable divider and the first side wall of the box.After opening the second set of consumer goods, a second portion of the inner lining can be removed by breaking a second portion of the second weakening line of the inner lining. Removing the portion of the inner lining that covers the second set of consumer goods exposes the second set of consumer goods to the user and allows the second side wall of the expandable divider to move more easily toward the second side wall of the box as the additional consumer goods in the second set are placed in the space between the second side wall of the expandable divider and the second side wall of the box. The expandable divider can be made from any material, including but not limited to cardboard, plastic, metal, or combinations thereof. The cardboard can weigh between approximately 100 grams per square meter and approximately 350 grams per square meter. Preferably, the expandable divider is made from a single sheet. The expandable separator can be made of an odor-absorbing material. For example, the expandable separator can comprise activated carbon or can be made of paper containing activated carbon. In particular, the expandable separator can be made of a material that includes at least 40% by weight of activated carbon. Such paper containing activated carbon can have a weight of approximately 190 g / m² and a thickness of approximately 500 micrometers (µm). The container may also include an optional internal frame arranged within the box. Advantageously, the internal frame, with a front wall adjacent to the front wall of the box, increases the container's structural strength. The internal frame may also be encased within the inner lining. Alternatively, the internal frame may be positioned outside the inner lining. The front wall of the internal frame may also include a notch, the size and position of which correspond to the notch provided in the front wall of the box. Such notches in the internal frame and the box can provide the consumer with an alternative way to place used goods in the expandable divider instead of having to insert them vertically into the top opening of the container. The outer surfaces of the containers according to the invention can be printed, embossed, stamped or otherwise adorned with the manufacturer's or brand's logos, trademarks, slogans and other consumer information and coded marks. A box may contain multiple containers as described herein. In addition to holding aerosol-generating items, such as consumer goods containing alkaloids, the container may also include other consumer goods, for example, matches, lighters, fire extinguishers, air fresheners, or electronic products. The other consumer goods may be attached to the outside of the container, contained inside the container along with the aerosol-generating items, in a separate compartment, or a combination thereof. This description also outlines specific methods for using consumer goods containers. These methods include obtaining a consumer goods container as described herein. A first step in the methods involves removing at least a portion of the inner lining to reveal the consumer goods in a first set. This step includes breaking at least one first weakening line of the inner lining and at least a portion of the second weakening line of the inner lining. This portion of the inner lining can then be completely removed from the box. Removing this portion of the inner lining exposes the consumer goods in the first set. Once the first set of consumer goods is exposed, the user can then remove at least one consumer good from that set. This at least one consumer good can then be used. Note that the particular consumer goods referred to in this description may not be completely consumed through use. The used consumer good is then placed in the expandable separator. The placement of the first consumer good does not break the line of weakening of the expandable separator and therefore does not change the separator's initial size, which is designed to hold a predetermined number of consumer goods. Additional optional steps in the described methods may include removing additional consumer goods from the first set of consumer goods. The additional consumer goods may be used. After placing a cumulative number of consumer goods in the expandable divider, which is greater than the predetermined number of consumer goods, the line of weakening of the expandable divider may break, allowing the expandable divider to expand by further separating the first and second side walls of the expandable divider. In some preferred embodiments, the predetermined number of consumer goods is two, and placing the third consumer goods in the expandable divider will break the line of weakening of the expandable divider and force a first side wall of the expandable divider toward the first set of consumer goods to make room for the third consumer good.Removing additional consumables from the first set of consumables and placing them in the expandable divider will force the first side wall of the expandable divider closer to the first side wall of the box to make room for the additional consumables in the expandable divider. These steps can optionally continue until all the consumables in the first set are removed. As all the consumables from the first set are placed in the expandable divider, the first side wall of the expandable divider will eventually be forced closer to the first side wall of the box to make room for all the consumables from the first set in the expandable divider. Other optional steps in the methods described may include removing a portion of the inner lining covering the second set of consumables by breaking a second portion of the second weakening line of the inner lining. This step can serve to expose the consumables of the second set. Removing consumables from the second set and placing them in the expandable divider will force the second side wall of the expandable divider against a second side wall of the box to make room for the additional consumables in the expandable divider.These steps can optionally continue until all the consumables in the second set are removed from the second set. As all the consumables from the second set are placed in the expandable divider, the second side wall of the expandable divider will eventually be forced closer to the second side wall of the box to make room for all the consumables from the second set in the expandable divider. Optional methods may include placing all consumer goods from the first set and the second set in the expandable divider. In accordance with several aspects of the present invention, a method for the sustainable and responsible disposal of used consumer goods is provided. Preferably, this method does not necessarily require a second container or even a significantly larger container for holding the used consumer goods. The containers and methods also do not require the consumer to use any external structure beyond the box itself. The expandable separator can even be designed to minimize or prevent any perceived negative impact, such as odor or taste transfer, from used consumer goods to unused consumer goods. As used herein, the singular forms a, an, and the also encompass embodiments that have plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The words “preferred” and “preferably” refer to embodiments of the invention that can achieve certain benefits under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred under the same or other circumstances. Furthermore, the enumeration of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the description, which includes the claims. As used in this description, “provide,” in the context of providing an apparatus or system, means to manufacture the apparatus or system, purchase the apparatus or system, or otherwise obtain the apparatus or system. Any directions referred to in this description, such as “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “upper,” “lower,” and other directions or orientations, are described herein for clarity and brevity, but are not intended to limit any actual device or system. The devices and systems described herein may be used in a variety of directions and orientations. References to the first and second (and so on) are made for explanatory purposes only and do not imply or have any further significance. The term “adjacent” refers to a location relative to another object. The term “near” or the phrase “close to” is used to describe a location relative to another object that is farther away than “adjacent.” The term hinge line or hinge refers to a line around which two elements can pivot relative to each other. A hinge line can be, for example, a fold line, a perforation line, or a tear line on a container wall or panel, or between two container walls. The term wall refers to one face of the container, and a wall can be formed from a single panel or fin, or a wall can be formed from two or more overlapping or contiguous panels or fins. The term weakening line is used to describe a line formed by partially cutting into the workpiece material. A weakening line can be formed by removing material from the workpiece (in which case the weakening line forms a groove or depression in the workpiece). Alternatively, a weakening line can be formed without removing any material from the workpiece, which typically involves partial lateral displacement and compression of the material, caused by a non-zero thickness blade penetrating the material. The depth of the weakening line will be less than the thickness of the workpiece. The term bend line is used to describe a line formed by displacing a portion of the material vertical to the plane of the workpiece, forming a groove or depression in the workpiece.The displacement may involve compression and typically involves the use of a compression tool, such as a roller. Alternatively or additionally, the material at the fold line may be displaced so that it protrudes, at least partially, from the opposite side of the starting piece. Generally, no material is removed when forming a fold line. The invention is defined in the claims. However, a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples is provided below. Any or more of the features of these examples may be combined with any one or more features of another example, embodiment, or aspect described herein. nR79 ίη / ΖΖΠΖ / Β / ΥΙΛΙ The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the figures in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of an internal lining; Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a starting piece of an expandable separator; Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of an expandable divider; Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of an internal lining containing an expandable separator and two bundles of consumer goods; Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of a container with a portion of an internal lining in the process of being removed; Figure 7 is a schematic perspective partial cutaway view of a container showing a first side wall of an expandable divider closer to the first side wall of the box; Figure 8 is a schematic perspective partial cutaway view of a container showing a second portion of an internal lining in the process of being removed. Figure 9 is a schematic perspective partial cutaway view of a container showing a second side wall of an expandable divider closer to the second side wall of the box; and Figure 10 is a schematic perspective view of a container that includes an optional notch in the box. Figure 1 shows a container 10 in a partially open position. The container 10 comprises a box 20 and a lid 30. Box 20 comprises a rear wall of box 22 that extends between a first side wall of box 27 and a second side wall of box 28. The bottom wall 23 of the box is orthogonal to the first side wall of box 27 and the second side wall of box 28 and extends between the first side wall of box 27 and the second side wall of box 28. The first side wall of box 27 and the second side wall of box 28 are orthogonal to a front wall of box 24 arranged opposite the rear wall of box 22. The lid 30 comprises a top wall of lid 36 that extends between a front wall of lid 34 and a rear wall of lid 32 and between a first side wall of lid 37 and a second side wall of lid 38. The first side wall of lid 37 and the second side wall of lid 38 are orthogonal to the top wall of lid 36 and extend between the front wall of lid 34 and the rear wall of lid 32. The back wall of lid 32 extends from a hinge line 40 along an upper edge of the back wall of box 22. Lid 30 is movable around the hinge line 40 between the closed and open positions. The hinge line 40 extends between the first side wall of box 27 and the second side wall of box 28. Box 20 is arranged and configured to receive consumable goods. The consumable goods may have a longitudinal length that is generally orthogonal to the hinge line 40. Preferably, the consumable goods are elongated items such as aerosol generating items, where the longitudinal length or axis is generally orthogonal to the hinge line 40. The consumable goods may be removed from a defined access opening in the top of box 20. Figure 2 shows an inner lining 50 before placement in a container. This particular inner lining 50 is manufactured from a single piece of material. The inner lining 50 includes a first inner lining weakening line 51 and a second inner lining weakening line 52. The first inner lining weakening line 51 and the second inner lining weakening line 52 define a first portion 56 and a second portion 57 of the inner lining. The inner lining 50 may also optionally include a first fold line 53, a second fold line 54, and a third fold line 55.The first fold line 53, the second fold line 54, and the third fold line 55 can be used to facilitate folding the inner lining to better cover a first and second set of consumer goods when the inner lining 50 wraps the first and second set of consumer goods inside the container. Figure 3 shows a starting piece of an expandable divider 60. The expandable divider 60 includes a first side wall 61 and a second side wall 63 spanned by a lower portion 65. Adjacent to a lower edge of the first side wall 61 and the second side wall 63 are a first line of weakness 66 and a lower fold line 64, respectively. Each of the first side wall 61 and the second side wall 63 may also optionally include a first side flap 67 and a second side flap 68 formed by folding along the first and second fold lines on the first side wall 61 and the second side wall 63, respectively. Figure 4 shows the expandable separator 60 once it is formed at least partially by folding the first side wall 61 and the second side wall 63 together along the first weakening line 66 and the lower fold line 64.In this view, the first side fin 67 and the second side fin 68 of the first side wall 61 and the second side wall 63 are not yet folded towards the lower portion 65 of the expandable divider 60. Figure 5 shows a first bundle of consumer goods 71, a second bundle of consumer goods 72, and an expandable divider 60 that are inside an inner lining 50. The first weakening line 51 of the inner lining 50 can be seen as positioned along the first side wall 61 of the expandable divider 60. The second weakening line 52 of the inner lining 50 can be seen as positioned along the bottom of the first 71 and second bundles of consumer goods 72 that can be adjacent to the perimeter of the front wall 24 and the bottom wall 23 of the box 20 when inserted into the container 10. This view of the inner lining shows the first optional fold line 53, which allows a portion of the inner lining 50 to fold over the first 71 and second 72 bundles of consumer goods.The second fold line 54 is adjacent to the lower back of the first and second sets of consumer goods. Figure 6 shows the first portion 56 of the inner lining 50 inside the container after a portion of the first portion 56 of the inner lining 50 has been peeled back for removal. As can be seen in this figure, a portion of the first line of weakness 51 has already broken. Figure 7 shows a partial cutaway view of the container after a certain number, in this case 10 consumer goods, have been placed in the expandable divider 60 and the first wall 61 of the expandable divider 60 has been forced over the first side wall of box 27 20. As can be seen in this figure, the second side wall 63 of the expandable divider 60 has not yet been moved. As can also be seen in this figure, the expandable divider has an expanded size that contains 10 consumer goods, the total quantity that was included in the first set of consumer goods 71. Figure 8 shows the second portion 57 of the inner lining inside the container after a portion of the second portion 57 of the inner lining has peeled back to finally be removed from the second set of consumer goods 72. Figure 9 shows a partial cutaway view of the container after a certain additional number, in this case 10 consumer goods from the second set of consumer goods nR79 ίη / ZZΖΠZΖ / Β / YΥΙΛΙ, has been placed in the expandable divider 60 and the second wall 63 of the expandable divider 60 has been forced over the second side wall of the box 28 20. Figure 10 shows a perspective view of a container including a front wall 24 of a box including an optional notch 29 cut out of the front wall 24 to help place consumer goods in the expandable divider. For the purposes of this description and the appended claims, unless otherwise stated, all numbers expressing quantities, percentages, etc., are to be understood as modified in all cases by the term "approximately." Furthermore, all intervals include the maximum and minimum points described and include any intermediate intervals therewith, which may or may not be specifically enumerated in this description. In this context, therefore, a number A is understood to be A ± 2% of A. Within this context, a number A may be considered to include numerical values ​​that are within the general standard error for the measurement of the property that modifies the number A.The number A, in some cases as used in the appended claims, may deviate by the percentages listed above, provided that the amount by which A deviates does not materially affect the basic and novel feature(s) of the claimed invention. Furthermore, all intervals include the maximum and minimum points described and include any intermediate intervals therein, which may or may not be specifically listed herein.

Claims

1. A container for consumer goods, in particular bar-shaped consumer goods, the container comprising: a box for housing consumer goods, the box comprising a front box wall, a rear box wall, a bottom box wall, and two opposite side box walls, wherein an upper face of the box is at least partially open to provide an access opening for accessing the consumer goods, a lid rotatably connected to the rear box wall along a hinge, the lid being movable along the hinge between a closed position, where the lid covers the access opening, and an open position, where the access opening is exposed, at least a first set and a second set of consumer goods, and an expandable divider comprising a first side wall, a second opposite side wall,a bottom wall positioned between the first side wall and the second side wall, and at least one separator weakening line provided on the bottom wall of the separator, the expandable separator having an initial size defined by an initial distance between the first side wall and the second side wall of the expandable separator to contain a predetermined number of consumer goods, wherein the expandable separator is placed inside the box between the first and second sets of consumer goods,the first side wall of the expandable divider that is adjacent to the first set of consumer goods and the second side wall of the expandable divider that is adjacent to the second set of consumer goods, and wherein the line of weakening of the divider is configured to break when more than the predetermined number of consumer goods is inserted between the walls of the expandable divider such that the first and second side walls of the expandable divider separate.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the weakening line of the separator is positioned along a first edge of the lower wall adjacent to the first side wall or the second side wall of the expandable separator.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the front wall of the box comprises a notch that aligns with an initial position of the expandable divider in the box.

4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the size of the notch is configured so that at least one consumer good is able to pass through the notch into the expandable separator.

5. The container of any preceding claim further comprising an inner lining, wherein the expandable separator and the first and second sets of consumer goods are enclosed within the inner lining.

6. The container according to claim 5, wherein the inner lining comprises a first weakening line positioned along either the first side wall or the second side wall of the expandable divider and a second weakening line of the inner lining positioned adjacent to the bottom wall of the box.

7. The container according to claim 6, wherein both the first inner lining weakening line and at least a portion of the second inner lining weakening lines are configured to break upon removal of a first portion of the inner lining covering the first set of consumer goods.

8. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the expandable separator comprises activated carbon.

9. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the expandable divider is configured to contain used consumer goods.

10. The container according to claim 9, wherein the first side of the expandable divider is configured to move towards the first set of consumer goods when the consumer goods in the first set are inserted into the expandable divider.

11. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the expandable divider further comprises two opposing side fins on each of the first and second side walls.

12. A method of using a consumer goods container, the method comprising: obtaining a consumer goods container, the container comprising: a box for housing consumer goods, the box comprising a front box wall, a rear box wall, a bottom box wall, and two opposite side box walls, wherein an upper face of the box is at least partially open to provide an access opening for accessing consumer goods, a lid rotatably connected to the rear box wall along a hinge and the lid is movable along the hinge between a closed position, wherein the lid covers the access opening, and an open position, wherein the access opening is exposed, at least a first and a second set of consumer goods, an expandable divider comprising a first side wall, a second opposite side wall,a bottom wall positioned between the first side wall and the second side wall, and at least one separator weakening line positioned on the bottom wall of the separator, the expandable separator having an initial size defined by an initial distance between the first side wall and the second side wall of the expandable separator to contain a predetermined number of consumer goods, and an inner lining enclosing the first and second sets of consumer goods, wherein the inner lining comprises a first inner lining weakening line positioned along the first or second side wall of the expandable separator and a second inner lining weakening line positioned adjacent to the bottom wall of the box, wherein the expandable separator is placed inside the box and within the inner lining between the first and second sets of consumer goods,the first side wall of the expandable divider that is adjacent to the first set of consumer goods and the second side wall of the expandable divider that is adjacent to the second set of consumer goods, and wherein after the insertion of more than the predetermined amount of consumer goods, the weakening line of the divider is configured to break so that the first and second side walls of the expandable divider separate further; removing a first portion of the inner lining covering the first set of consumer goods by breaking the first weakening line of the inner lining and at least a portion of the second weakening line of the inner lining, removing a first consumer good from the first set of consumer goods, using the first consumer good, and placing the used first consumer good into the expandable divider.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising removing all the consumables from the first set of consumables, using all the consumables from the first set of consumables, and placing all the used consumables from the first set of consumables in the expandable separator, wherein when placing all the used consumables from the first set of consumables in the expandable separator, the first wall of the expandable separator is placed close to the first side wall of the box.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising removing a second portion of the inner lining covering the second set of consumer goods by breaking the remaining portion of the second weakening line of the inner lining.

15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising removing a first consumer good from the second set of consumer goods, using the first consumer good from the second set of consumer goods, and placing the used first consumer good in the expandable divider, thereby moving the second wall of the expandable divider towards the second side wall of the box.

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