Collapsible tobacco container

Abstract

A container includes a front wall, a back wall, first and second opposing sidewalls, a foldable top, and a bottom. An interior for storing consumer goods is defined between the front wall, the back wall, the first and second side walls, the top and the bottom. Each side wall has three or more fold lines, which form two or more indents extending along the side wall from the bottom to the top. The fold lines of the first side wall are aligned with the fold lines of the second side wall. The container is expandable and collapsible such that the distance between the front wall and the back wall increases as the container is expanded and decreases as the container is collapsed. The top forms a fin when the top is unfolded.

Claims

1. A stand-up bag for consumer goods comprising: a front wall; a back wall; first and second opposing sidewalls; a foldable top; and a bottom, wherein an interior for storing the consumer goods is defined between the front wall, the back wall, the first and second side walls, the top and the bottom, wherein each side wall comprises three or more fold lines, which form two or more indents extending along the side wall from the bottom to the top and wherein the fold lines of the first side wall are aligned with the fold lines of the second side wall such that the side walls form an accordion or bellows type structure, wherein the fold lines of the first and second side walls provide sufficient rigidity to allow the bag to stand upright, wherein the bag is expandable and collapsible such that the distance between the front wall and the back wall increases as the bag is expanded and decreases as the bag is collapsed, and wherein the top forms a fin when the top is unfolded, wherein the top comprises a first face extending from the front wall and a second face extending from the back wall, wherein a portion of an inner surface of the first face and a portion of an inner surface of the second face contact to form the fin, and wherein when the top is folded down, the first and second faces of the top are substantially parallel to the bottom and the fin is substantially flat against one of the first face or the second face of the top; and wherein when the top is folded down and the bag is expanded, the bag has a rectangular box shape.

2. A bag according to claim 1, wherein when the bag is fully expanded, a portion of the first face of the top that extends from the front wall to the fin and a portion of the second face of the top that extends from the back wall to the fin lie within a plane substantially parallel to the bottom of the bag.

3. A bag according to claim 2, wherein the first and second faces of the top, in a region of forming the fin, are separatable to provide access to the interior of the bag.

4. A bag according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing element configured to seal the bag in the region of the fin, wherein the sealing element is resealable.

5. A bag according to claim 4, wherein the sealing element comprises a zip sealing assembly.

6. A bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag further comprises one or more panels disposed in the interior and dividing the interior into compartments.

7. A bag according to claim 6, wherein the one or more panels are extended from the bottom, the first side wall, and the second side wall.

8. A bag according to claim 7, wherein the one or more panels comprise at least a first panel, wherein at least a portion of the first panel is sealable to at least a portion of a second panel, the front wall, or the back wall to form a sealed compartment.

9. A bag according to claim 8, wherein the compartment comprises a compartment sealing element, and wherein the compartment sealing element is resealable.

10. A bag according to claim 1, wherein the bottom comprises three or more fold lines, which form two or more indents aligned with and extending to the indents of the first and second side walls.

11. A bag according to claim 1, wherein the fold lines of the first and second side walls are configured to allow the bag to stand upright on the bottom.

12. A bag according to claim 1, where the bag further comprises a resealable label to maintain the top folded down prior to unfolding by a consumer.

13. A bag according to claim 12, wherein the label is configured to act as an evidence of tampering by being broken when the consumer unfolds the fin on the top for the first time.

14. A bag according to claim 1, wherein the consumer goods comprises a tobacco related products.

Description

(1) The schematic drawings are not necessarily to scale and are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation. The drawings depict one or more aspects described in this disclosure. However, it will be understood that other aspects not depicted in the drawing fall within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Referring now to the drawings, in which some aspects of the present invention are illustrated.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a container with the top folded down.

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a container depicted in FIG. 1 with the top unfolded.

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of a fully expanded container with the top unfolded.

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view along line 4-4 of an embodiment of a container depicted in FIG. 3. The drawing in FIG. 4 should not be considered to be to scale.

(6) Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, the depicted container 100 includes a front wall 130, a back wall 140, a first side wall 120, a second side wall (not shown in FIGS. 1-2), a bottom 150, and a foldable top 110. The first side wall 120 and second side wall each comprise three aligned fold lines 122 that cooperate to form at least two indents when the container 100 is collapsed. The bottom 150 may also include three fold lines that extend from the fold lines 122 of the first side wall 120 and the fold lines of the second side wall. The contiguous folds may facilitate structured collapsing of the container 100. The container 100 may be a stand-up bag. The fold lines may provide structural support to allow the bag to stand upright on the bottom 150.

(7) The top 110 of the container 100 in FIG. 1 is folded down. A label 200 retains the top 110 in the folded configuration. The label 200 may be affixed by a manufacturer. The label 200 may be attached to the front wall 130 and the back wall 140 and extend over the top 110 to keep the top 110 folded down. If the label 200 is unbroken as in FIG. 1, a consumer can be assured that the contents of the package have not been tampered with. The container 100 sealed by a manufacturer with the label 200 may have a substantially rectangular shape, which can allow for efficient packing for shipping and easy storage prior to use by a consumer. Width of the container 100 (distance from front wall 130 to back wall 140) along the entire height (distance from bottom 150 to top 110) of the container 100 is substantially the same.

(8) The container 100 in FIG. 1 may be filled with consumer goods by the manufacturer prior to affixing the label 200, which may help maintain the container 100 in an expanded configuration.

(9) In FIG. 2, label 200 is broken and the top 110 is unfolded revealing a first face 112 and a second face 114 of the top 110. The first face 112 extends from the top of the front wall 130. A fold line demarcates the front wall 130 from the first face 112 of the top 110. The second face 114 extends from the top of the back wall 140. A fold line demarcates the second face 114 from the back wall 140. The first face 112 and the second face 114 together form a fin 115. The container 100 includes a sealing element 300 in the region of the fin 115. The sealing element 300 depicted in FIG. 2 is a plastic zip sealing assembly, such as a Zip-Lock seal. The sealing element 300 may be opened and the first 112 and second 114 face of the top in the region of the fin 115 may be separated to allow a consumer access to the contents of the bag.

(10) Referring now to FIG. 3 the container 100 is shown in a fully expanded unfolded position. The container 100 includes four fold lines 162 on the second side wall 160 that extend from the top 110 to the bottom 150 of the container. The container 100 also includes four aligned fold lines on the first side wall 120. The container may also include four fold lines on the bottom 150 that extend from the fold lines of the first side wall 120 to the fold lines 162 of the second side wall 160. The length of the first face 112 of the top (from the front wall 130 to the fin 115) is the same as the length from the second face 114 (from the back wall 140 to the fin 115). The sum of the length of the portion of the first face 112 extending from the front wall to the fin and the length of the portion of the second face 114 extending from the rear wall to the fin is equal to the width of the bottom 150 (from the front wall 130 to the back wall 140) when the bag is expanded.

(11) As shown in FIG. 4, one or more panel 510 may be disposed in the interior of the container 100. The panels 510 extend from side walls 120, 160 and the bottom 150. Two or more panels 510 may form a compartment 500 within the interior of the container 100. Alternatively, a panel 510 and at least a portion of the front or back walls may form a compartment 500. The container 100 depicted in FIG. 4 includes a compartment sealing element 520, which may be resealable.

(12) The specific embodiments described above are intended to illustrate the invention. However, other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims, and it is to be understood that the specific embodiments described above are not intended to be limiting.