Hinged Lid and Cover Flap Integration for Cigarette Package
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rigid, hinged-lid packets of cigarettes face issues with maintaining airtightness and ease of use, as the existing cover flaps can be awkward to open, especially for less dexterous users, and the larger grip tabs tend to stick out and cause accidental opening of the lid.
Innovation Solution
A package design where the cover flap is fixed to the inner package using non-dry re-stick adhesive, with a bottom tab permanently glued to the lid, allowing simultaneous opening and closing of the lid and cover flap, eliminating the need for a collar and ensuring the lid remains closed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the grip tab size is increased to make it easier to lift the cover flap, then ease of operation is improved, but the lid may stick out and cause accidental opening or become entangled with external objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cover flap and lid into a single integrated structure where the cover flap is formed as an integral part of the lid. This eliminates the need for a separate grip tab while maintaining ease of opening through the hinge mechanism, and prevents the stability issues associated with protruding tabs.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid serves multiple functions: it protects the cigarettes, provides the hinge mechanism for opening, and incorporates the cover flap closure system. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components like grip tabs while maintaining operational ease and closure reliability.
2Reliability
If a collar is used to keep the lid closed, then lid closure stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the collar by merging the closure function into the lid-cover flap assembly itself. The hinge mechanism and adhesive work together to provide closure stability without requiring an additional collar component, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the collar component entirely from the package structure, extracting its closure function and redistributing it across the hinge mechanism and adhesive system. This simplifies the overall device while maintaining closure reliability.
3Reliability
If the cover flap is made reusable with fastening means, then airtightness is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to the need to manually open and close the flap
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cover flap and lid into a single hinged unit, so that opening or closing the lid automatically opens or closes the cover flap. This eliminates the need for separate manual operations while maintaining the airtight sealing function through the integrated design and adhesive.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design allows for easy and quick opening and closing of the package, even by less dexterous users, maintains airtightness without a collar, and is cost-effective to produce, preserving the tobacco's organic characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
the cover flap has fastening means (e.g. a strip of non-dry re-stick adhesive) by which to repeatedly secure the cover flap in a closed position
Implementation Method 2
with a bottom tab permanently glued to the lid
Data Source
AI summary
A package of tobacco articles, having: a group of tobacco articles; a cup-shaped outer container (2) having an open top end (6), and a cup-shaped lid (7) hinged to the outer container (2) along a hinge (8) to rotate, with respect to the outer container (2), between an open position and a closed position opening and closing the open top end (6) respectively; and an inner package (3) which is housed inside the outer container (2), encloses the group of tobacco articles, and has a tobacco article extraction opening (4) closed by a cover flap (5); at least a portion of the cover flap (5) is connected permanently and non-removably to the lid (7), so that opening and closing the lid (7) simultaneously also opens and closes the cover flap (5).