METHOD FOR PRODUCING CONTAINER WITH MEANS FOR IMPROVED CLOSURE

Abstract

A method for producing a laminar blank having a microsuction element, the method comprising: conveying a laminar blank along a first path, the laminar blank having an inner surface and an outer surface; conveying a microsuction tape along a second path, which is different to the first path; contacting a first portion of the microsuction tape with the outer surface of a first portion of the laminar blank, to secure the first portion of the microsuction tape to the first portion of the laminar blank; and cutting the microsuction tape to separate the first portion of the microsuction tape from the remainder of the microsuction tape, to thereby provide a laminar blank having a microsuction element.

Claims

1. A method for producing a laminar blank having a microsuction element, the method comprising: conveying a laminar blank along a first path, the laminar blank having an inner surface and an outer surface; conveying a microsuction tape along a second path, which is different to the first path; contacting a first portion of the microsuction tape with the outer surface of a first portion of the laminar blank, to secure the first portion of the microsuction tape to the first portion of the laminar blank; and cutting the microsuction tape to separate the first portion of the microsuction tape from the remainder of the microsuction tape, to thereby provide a laminar blank having a microsuction element, wherein laminar blank is configured to be folded to form at least a portion of 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.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the blank is configured to be folded to form the inner surface of a portion of the lid of the container.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the first portion of the blank is configured to be folded to form the inner surface of a front wall of the lid of the container.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the housing of the container has a second portion, which is configured to engage with the first portion of the microsuction tape, when the lid is in the closed position.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising: providing an inner frame blank configured to be folded to form an inner frame forming part of the housing, the second portion of the housing being defined by the inner frame.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising affixing the inner frame blank to the laminar blank such that the portion of the inner frame defining the second portion of the housing extends beyond the periphery of the laminar blank.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the microsuction tape comprises a microsuction layer having an inner surface and an outer surface, and wherein the first portion of the microsuction tape is contacted with the outer surface of a first portion of the laminar blank, such that at least a portion of the outer surface of the microsuction layer is exposed after the laminar blank having the microsuction element has been formed.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the microsuction tape further comprises an adhesive layer underlying the microsuction layer, and wherein the contacting step further comprises: contacting the adhesive layer of the first portion of the microsuction tape with the outer surface of the first portion of the laminar blank.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the microsuction tape further comprises a polymeric film layer disposed between the inner surface of the microsuction layer and the adhesive layer.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the contacting step further comprises: pressing the first portion of the microsuction tape onto the outer surface of the first portion of the laminar blank.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of conveying the laminar blank comprises conveying a reel of a sheet material and cutting one or more laminar blanks from the reel.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of conveying the microsuction tape comprises conveying the microsuction tape from a reel of microsuction tape material.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the microsuction tape is conveyed on a backing material, and the method further comprises the step of separating the first portion of the microsuction tape from the backing material, before the step of contacting the first portion of the microsuction tape with the outer surface of the first portion of the laminar blank.

14. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: contacting a second portion of the microsuction tape with the outer surface of a first portion of an additional laminar blank, to secure the second portion of the microsuction tape to the first portion of the additional laminar blank; and cutting the microsuction tape to separate the second portion of the microsuction tape from the remainder of the microsuction tape, to thereby provide an additional laminar blank having a microsuction element.

15. A container formed using the method of claim 1.

Description

[0053] The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings in which:

[0054] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container produced by a method according to the present invention, after the first opening of the lid;

[0055] FIGS. 2A and 2B depict an overhead view of the container of FIG. 1 being produced in accordance with the method according to the present invention.

[0056] FIG. 1 shows a container 100 for consumer goods, which has been produced 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 10, such as a bundle of cigarettes. The container has a lid 40 and a box 20 which are formed together from a single laminar blank.

[0057] 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).

[0058] 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).

[0059] 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. The inner frame 50 is formed from a frame laminar blank.

[0060] FIG. 1 shows the container 100 after first opening. A microsuction element 60 (not visible in FIG. 1) is provided on the inner surface of the lid front wall 48, which is configured to engage with the inner frame front wall 52 to retain the lid 40 in a closed position relative to the box 20. The dashed line in FIG. 1 indicates the second surface 64 of the inner frame front wall 52, with which the microsuction element 60 is in contact when the lid 40 is in the closed position to secure the lid in the closed position. The first surface has a corresponding shape, size and position on the inner surface of the lid front wall 48.

[0061] FIGS. 2A and 2B depict an overhead view of the container of FIG. 1 being produced in accordance with the method according to the present invention.

[0062] A container laminar blank 1001 is conveyed along a first path in a first direction 1010 by a first conveyor 1011. A microsuction tape 1020 is unwound from a reel 1022 and conveyed along a second path in a second direction 1024, which is transverse to the first direction 1010. As shown in FIG. 2A, the conveyance of the blank 1001 and the conveyance of the tape 1020 is coordinated such that a first portion 1060 of the microsuction tape 1020 overlies and comes into contact with a first portion 1003 of the laminar blank 1001, which in this case is a panel 1003 that forms the inner surface of the lid of the assembled container 100.

[0063] A blade 1050 is provided to cut the first portion of the microsuction tape 1020 to thereby form a microsuction element 1063 on the laminar blank 1001. As shown in FIG. 2B, the laminar blank 1001 and its microsuction element 1063 are then further conveyed along the second path towards an assembly station, where the laminar blank 1001 can be folded to form at least part of the container 100. A second laminar blank 1100 is then conveyed towards the tape and the blade 1050, whereby it can also be provided with a microsuction element from the microsuction tape 1020.