Cigarette Package Lifting Strip with Rounded Transition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cigarette packs often position cigarettes under tension, making it difficult to remove the first cigarette, and existing aids like lifting strips can be destructive or unreliable.

Innovation Solution

A cigarette pack design featuring a lifting strip connected to a pull flap with a rounded transition area, ensuring the strip is not destroyed and cigarettes are lifted carefully, with the strip extending into the inner pack's bottom wall and featuring a tapering contour for orderly separation, and optionally glued for added stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a lifting strip is connected to a pull flap with a straight or sharp transition, then the connection is simple to manufacture, but the lifting strip is destroyed or separated during use

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection simplicityVSAvoidconnection durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The transition area between the lifting strip and pull flap is designed with rounded contours instead of sharp angles. This curvature distributes mechanical stress more evenly during the lifting action, preventing the lifting strip from being torn away and ensuring reliable connection throughout the lifting process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Ease of operation

If the lifting strip is made thin and flexible, then it can be easily inserted and positioned, but it lacks the strength to reliably lift cigarettes under tension

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinsertion easeVSAvoidlifting capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The lifting strip's cross-sectional dimensions are optimized to balance flexibility and strength. The strip has sufficient thickness and width to generate adequate lifting force on tensioned cigarettes, while remaining thin enough to be easily inserted into the cigarette pack and positioned correctly behind the cigarettes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If the lifting strip is completely separated from the inner pack during lifting, then the cigarette removal is complete, but the inner pack integrity is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecigarette removal completenessVSAvoidinner pack integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The separation between the lifting strip and inner pack is designed as a controlled, staged process. The lifting strip separates from the pull flap first through the rounded transition area, allowing cigarette lifting to complete, while the inner pack remains intact and can be reused for subsequent cigarette removals.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Stability of the object's composition

If cigarettes are positioned under tension in the cigarette block, then they remain stable during storage, but they become difficult to remove when needed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecigarette block stabilityVSAvoidcigarette removal ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The lifting strip acts as an intermediary tool that interfaces with the tensioned cigarettes. By inserting the lifting strip behind the cigarettes and applying upward force through this mediator, the cigarettes can be smoothly extracted from the tensioned block without requiring direct manual manipulation that would struggle against the tension forces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3371075B1Cigarette package with an outer packgage and an inner package with removal means
Publication Date: 2019.08.28 FOCKE & CO (GMBH & CO KG)
  • EP3371075B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3371075B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3371075B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The aim of the invention is the facilitated handling of cigarette packages having an outer package (11) and an inner package (23). This aim is achieved in that the inner package is provided with a lifting strip (38) formed in the region of an inner front wall (24) such that cigarettes on the front side (37) are lifted when the package is opened for the first time and a pull flap (50) is pulled off. The lifting strip (38) is connected to the pull flap, specifically in a manner that ensures that the pull flap (50) and the lifting strip (38) remain undestroyed as the pull flap and the lifting strip are pulled out and as the cigarettes are lifted.