Cigarette Packet Slide-Open Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rigid, slide-open packets of cigarettes have a tear-off top portion that is either limited or requires multiple operations to unseal, and parts may jam against the inner container, making it difficult to access the cigarettes without tearing the packaging.
Innovation Solution
A packet of cigarettes design featuring a parallelepiped-shaped inner package with a single tear-off top portion and a rigid outer package that allows for straight sliding movement, where the inner container is held in place by weak-stick glue and has a retaining tab to prevent detachment, and an optional tear-off lid that covers the extraction opening for easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the sheet of inner wrapping material is folded into a U longitudinally about the group of cigarettes, then the tear-off top portion is defined by two separate parts bounded by two pull-off lines, but this forces the user to tear off the top portion in two consecutive operations which is unpractical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the two separate tear-off parts into a single integrated tear-off top portion by folding the sheet of inner wrapping material into a U crosswise instead of longitudinally. This creates one continuous pull-off line that allows the user to remove the entire top portion in a single operation, eliminating the need for two consecutive tearing actions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the packet uses a rigid slide-open construction with limited top wall accessibility, then the packet structure is stable and secure, but parts of the tear-off top portion may lift off and jam against the inner surface of the outer container making unsealing difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specific geometric configuration of the tear-off top portion with angled edges relative to the pull-off line. This local geometric feature ensures that when force is applied to tear the top portion, the angled edges guide the tearing motion and prevent the material from lifting off and jamming against the container walls, while maintaining the overall rigid structure's stability.
3Ease of operation
If the tear-off top portion is designed to be accessible in a rigid slide-open packet, then user access is enabled, but the top portion may lift off and jam against the inner container requiring tearing of packing material to unseal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates preliminary action by pre-configuring the tear-off top portion with specific geometric features (angled edges) that prevent jamming before the unsealing operation occurs. This preliminary design ensures that during the actual tearing operation, the material follows the intended path and cannot lift off to jam against the container, thereby ensuring reliable unsealing without requiring forceful tearing of packing material.
Data Source
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AI summary
A packet (1) of cigarettes having : an inner package (2) defined by a group (30) of cigarettes wrapped in a sheet (29) of wrapping material having at least one tear line (32) defining a tear-off top portion (31); an inner container (4) housing the inner package (2) and having an extraction opening (10) for access to the tear-off top portion (31); an outer container (5) housing the inner container (4) in sliding manner, to allow the inner container (4) to slide, with respect to the outer container (5), between a closed position, in which the inner container (4) is inserted inside the outer container (5), and an open position, in which the inner container (4) is extracted partly from the outer container (5); and a tear-off lid (45) connected to the inner container (4) by at least one tear line (48), and covering at least part of the extraction opening (10).