Container with improved closure means

Abstract

A container (100) for consumer goods comprises: a housing (20) having an opening for accessing the consumer goods; and a lid (40) connected to the housing (20) and movable relative to the housing (20) between a closed position in which the lid (40) covers the opening and an open position in which the opening is uncovered. A first surface of the lid (40) is disposed adjacent to a first surface of the housing (20) when the lid is in the closed position, and a microsuction structure (60) is provided for securing the first surface of the lid (40) to the first surface of the housing (20) when the lid (40) is in the closed position. The microsuction structure (60) is formed of a microsuction layer (68); a polymeric film layer (66) underlying the microsuction layer; and an adhesive layer (64) affixing the microsuction structure to the corresponding first surface of the lid or housing.

Claims

1. A container for consumer goods, the container comprising: a housing having an opening for accessing the consumer goods; and a lid connected to the housing and movable relative to the housing between a closed position in which the lid covers the opening and an open position in which the opening is uncovered; wherein a first surface of the lid is disposed adjacent to a first surface of the housing when the lid is in the closed position, and wherein a microsuction structure is provided on the first surface of the housing, the first surface of the lid, or both the first surface of the housing and the first surface of the lid, for securing the first surface of the lid to the first surface of the housing when the lid is in the closed position, the microsuction structure comprising: a microsuction layer, at least part of which is exposed at the outer surface of the microsuction structure; a polymeric film layer underlying the microsuction layer; and an adhesive layer underlying the polymeric film layer and affixing the microsuction structure to the corresponding first surface of the lid or housing.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein the polymeric film layer is a layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

3. A container according to claim 1 wherein the microsuction structure further comprises an inactivation layer partially covering the microsuction layer, wherein the inactivation layer prevents the underlying microsuction layer from becoming affixed to a contact surface.

4. A container according to claim 1 wherein a microsuction structure is provided on the first surface of the lid, and a microsuction structure is provided on the first surface of the housing.

5. A container according to claim 1 wherein the microsuction structure is provided on only one of the first surface of the lid or the first surface of the housing, and wherein the other of the first surface of the lid or the first surface of the housing has a surface smoothness of 1.2 micrometers or less as measured in accordance with ISO 8791-4.

6. A container according to claim 5, wherein the other of the first surface of the lid or the first surface of the housing comprises a coating layer to increase the surface smoothness.

7. A container according to claim 1 wherein the first surface of the lid or the first surface of the housing to which the microsuction structure is applied is embossed beneath the microsuction structure.

8. A container according to claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a box and an inner frame mounted within the box, wherein the first surface of the housing is provided on the inner frame.

9. A container according to claim 8 wherein the microsuction structure is provided over the entire outer surface of the inner frame.

10. A container according to claim 1 wherein the polymeric film layer of the microsuction structure is applied over the entire outer surface of the inner frame.

11. A container according to claim 1 wherein the force required to separate the lid from the housing when the lid is in the closed position is between about 5 Newtons and about 15 Newtons.

12. A container according to claim 1 wherein the microsuction layer of the microsuction structure is exposed over a surface area of at least 1 square centimeter on the first surface of the lid or the first surface of the housing.

13. A container according to claim 1 wherein the lid comprises a lid front wall, a lid back wall, first and second lid side walls, and a lid top wall, and wherein the first surface of the lid is located on the inner surface of the lid front wall.

14. A container according to claim 1 containing a bundle of smoking articles within the housing.

15. A method of producing a container according to any preceding claim, the method comprising: providing one or more laminar blanks for forming the lid and the housing of the container; laminating a polymeric film layer at least a portion of the surface of a first laminar blank by applying an adhesive layer between the polymeric film layer and the surface of the first laminar blank; applying a microsuction layer onto the polymeric film layer over a first surface of the first laminar blank; and assembling the container from the one or more laminar blanks.

Description

(1) The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the present invention; and

(3) FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the microsuction structure on the front wall of the inner frame of the container of FIG. 1 (not to scale).

(4) FIG. 1 shows a container 100 for consumer goods, according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the container 100 is in an open condition. The container 100 contains a wrapped bundle of consumer goods 60, such as a bundle of cigarettes. The container is formed from a folded laminar blank and has a lid 40 and a box 20.

(5) The lid 40 has a first lid side wall 42, a second lid side wall 44, and a lid top wall 46. The lid 40 also has a lid front wall 48 and a lid back wall (not shown).

(6) The box 20 has a box front wall 22, and a first box side wall 24. The box 20 also has a box bottom wall, a box back wall and a second box side wall (not shown). The lid 40 depends along a hinge line (not shown) from a top edge of the box back wall, and is movable about the hinge line between an open position (as shown in FIG. 1) and a closed position (not shown).

(7) An inner frame 50 is attached to the inside of the box 20 and includes a first inner frame side wall 54, a second inner frame side wall (not shown), and an inner frame front wall 52.

(8) A microsuction structure 60 is provided over the entire outer surface of the inner frame 50 and comprises a resealable area 62 on the inner frame front wall 52, which is configured to engage with the inner surface of the lid front wall 48 to retain the lid 40 in a closed position relative to the box 20.

(9) FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the microsuction structure 60 provided on the outer surface of the inner frame 50. The microsuction structure 60 is formed of a laminate sheet material comprising several layers overlying one another, which covers the entire outer surface of the inner frame 50. An adhesive layer 64 adheres the microsuction structure 60 to the outer surface of the inner frame 50. A polymeric film layer 66 formed of a film of PET is adhered onto the adhesive layer 64 and a microsuction layer 68 overlies the polymeric film layer 66. The microsuction layer 68 is exposed in an area on the surface of the inner frame front wall 52 and this exposed area provides the resealable area 62 described above. The remainder of the microsuction layer 68 is covered by an inactivation layer 70 of a lacquer. The inactivation layer 70 is applied over the microsuction layer 68 and prevents the microsuction layer 68 from adhering to the lid, other than in the resealable area 62.

(10) As described above, the areas to which the inactivation layer 70 is applied may be printed with a suitable ink prior to the application of the inactivation layer 70 onto the microsuction layer 68, in order to modify the surface appearance in these areas.

(11) To close the container the consumer pivots the lid 40 about the hinge relative to the box 20, until the inner surface of the lid front wall 48 is adjacent to the outer surface of the inner frame front wall 52. The application of pressure to the outer surface of the lid front wall 42 causes the resealable area 62 of the microsuction structure 60 on the inner frame front wall 52 to engage with the inner surface of the lid front wall 48, and thereby retain the lid 40 in the closed position.

(12) It will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, the application of the lacquer layer 70 may be adapted to provide one or more additional resealable areas in which the microsuction layer is exposed at the surface of the inner frame. For example, an additional resealable area may be provided on one or both of the inner frame side walls.