CONTAINER HAVING A TRAY

Abstract

A container for consumer goods is provided, including box and lid portions defining a compartment to contain consumer goods; a tray within the compartment to support consumer goods and including a first portion in the box portion and a second portion above the box portion, the lid portion being movable relative to the box portion between a closed position in which the tray is covered and an open position in which the tray is uncovered, the second portion extending into the lid portion when the lid portion is in the closed position and engaging with an inner surface of the lid portion to help retain the lid portion in the closed position; and a retention mechanism between the first portion and the box portion to oppose movement of the tray relative to the box portion in response to the lid portion being moved from the closed to the open positions.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A container for consumer goods, the container comprising: a box portion and a lid portion, which together define a compartment configured to contain consumer goods; a tray disposed within the compartment and configured to support at least some consumer goods, the tray comprising a first portion residing in the box portion and a second portion residing above the box portion, wherein the lid portion is movable relative to the box portion between a closed position in which the tray is covered and an open position in which the tray is uncovered, and wherein the second portion of the tray extends into the lid portion when the lid portion is in the closed position, and engages with an inner surface of the lid portion to help retain the lid portion in the closed position; and a retention mechanism disposed between the first portion of the tray and the box portion, the retention mechanism being configured to oppose movement of the tray relative to the box portion in response to the lid portion being moved from the closed position to the open position.

17. The container according to claim 16, wherein the first portion of the tray is removable from the box portion when the lid portion is in the open position.

18. The container according to claim 17, wherein the lid portion is connected to the box portion by a hinge line extending across a back wall of the box portion.

19. The container according to claim 16, wherein the lid portion engages with the tray by friction.

20. The container according to claim 19, wherein the friction occurs between a tray front wall and a lid portion front wall.

21. The container according to claim 16, wherein the retention mechanism comprises a protrusion on a tray front wall and a corresponding engagement edge on the box portion.

22. The container according to claim 21, wherein the protrusion extends from a bottom edge of the tray front wall.

23. The container according to claim 21, wherein the box portion comprises a box portion front wall, and wherein the corresponding engagement edge is on an inner surface of the box portion front wall.

24. The container according to claim 23, wherein the inner surface of the box portion front wall is defined by a first box portion front wall panel and a second box portion front wall panel.

25. The container according to claim 24, wherein the first box portion front wall panel extends across only a portion of the inner surface of the box portion front wall.

26. The container according to claim 24, wherein the engagement edge is an edge of the first box portion front wall panel.

27. The container according to claim 21, wherein the engagement edge of the retention mechanism forms part of a slot in the container.

28. The container according to claim 16, further comprising further consumer goods received in a space in a compartment beneath the tray.

29. The container according to claim 27, wherein the slot is defined by a debossed portion of an inner surface of the box portion front wall.

30. The container according to claim 18, wherein a depth of the tray is between 0.1 and 0.5 millimetre greater than an inner depth of the lid portion to form an interference fit between the lid portion and the tray.

Description

[0102] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0103] FIG. 1 shows a box portion and a lid portion forming a container according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the lid portion in the closed position closed position;

[0104] FIG. 2 shows a container according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion in a partially open position;

[0105] FIG. 3 shows a container according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion in an open position;

[0106] FIG. 4 shows a container according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion in an open position and the tray partially removed from the box portion;

[0107] FIG. 5 shows a container according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion in an open position and the tray fully removed from the box portion;

[0108] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the container according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion in an open position and the tray partially removed from the box portion;

[0109] FIG. 7 shows a retention mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0110] FIG. 8 shows a retention mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0111] FIGS. 1 to 5 show a container 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The solid walls of the container are shown as transparent in these figures so that detail within the container 10 can be seen. The container 10 comprises a box portion 20, a lid portion 40 connected to the box portion 20 by a hinge line 50, and a tray 60 received in the container 10 configured to support at least some consumer goods 14. Further consumer goods 17 are received in a space 18 beneath the tray 60.

[0112] FIG. 1 shows a container 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion 40 in the closed position.

[0113] The box portion 20 comprises a box portion bottom wall 21, a box portion front wall 22, a box portion back wall 23, a first box portion side wall 24, a second box portion side wall 25 (not shown), and top end 30 comprising an opening 31. As best seen in FIG. 6, the opening 31 of the box portion 20 is delimited by a top end of the box portion front wall 32, a top end of the box portion back wall 33, a top end of the first box portion side wall 34 and a top end of the second box portion side wall 35.

[0114] The lid portion 40 is connected to the box portion 20 by a hinge line 50 that extends across the box portion back wall 23. The lid portion 40 comprises a lid portion top wall 41, a lid portion front wall 42, a lid portion back wall 43, a first lid portion side wall 44 and a second lid portion side wall 45 (not shown). The lid portion 40 is movable relative to the box portion 20 between a closed position in which the lid portion covers the opening of the box portion, and an open position in which the opening 31 of the box portion 20 is uncovered. The lid portion 40 is disposed in the closed position in FIG. 1. The lid portion 40 can be pivoted about the hinge line 50 on the box portion back wall 23 between the closed position and the open position. The lid portion 40 is considered to be in a fully open position when the when the lid portion top wall 41 is perpendicular with the opening 31 at the top end 30 of the box portion 20. The lid portion 40 can be pivoted 180 degrees to an open position in which the lid portion back wall 43 and the box portion back wall 23 are substantially parallel. FIGS. 1 to 3 show the lid portion 40 at various stage of opening between the lid portion being in a closed position in FIG. 1 and a fully open position in FIG. 3.

[0115] In FIGS. 1 to 5, the hinge line 50 is formed by two laminar blanks which connect the box portion 20 to the lid portion 40. The two laminar blanks in which the hinge line 50 is formed are adhered to the box portion back wall 23 and the lid portion back wall 43.

[0116] An outer laminar blank 52 in which the hinge line 50 is formed is adhered to the outer surface of the box portion back wall 23 and the outer surface of the lid portion back wall 43.

[0117] An inner laminar blank 54 in which the hinge line 50 is formed is adhered to the inner surface of the box portion back wall 23 and the inner surface of the lid portion back wall 43.

[0118] The box portion bottom wall 21 defines the bottom wall of the container 10. The lid portion top wall 41 defines the top wall of the container 10. The box portion front wall 22 and the lid portion front wall 42 together define a front wall of the container 10. The box portion back wall 23 and the lid portion back wall 43 together define a back wall of the container 10. The first box portion side wall 24 and second box portion side wall 25, and the first lid portion side wall 44 and second lid portion side wall 45 together define the first and second side walls of the container 10.

[0119] The front wall, back wall, first and second side walls, top wall and bottom wall of the container 10 define a compartment within the box portion 20 and the lid portion 40 for containing consumer goods 14. When the lid portion 40 is in the open position, a consumer may be able to access the consumer goods 14 contained within the compartment.

[0120] The container 10 further comprises a tray 60 configured to support at least some of the consumer goods 14 disposed within the compartment of the container 10. The tray 60 comprises a recessed portion 61 configured to receive at least some consumer goods 14. The tray 60 comprises a tray front wall 65, a tray back wall 66, a first tray side wall 67 and a second tray second side wall 68 (not shown). The compartment of the container 10 for consumer goods is configured to receive the tray 60. The tray 60 is disposed within the compartment such that a first portion of the tray 62 resides below the opening 31 of the box portion 20 and a second portion of the tray 64 resides above the opening 31 of the box portion 20. When the lid portion 40 of the container 10 is in the closed position, the second portion 64 of the tray is received in the lid portion 40.

[0121] The second portion of the tray 64 engages frictionally with the lid portion 40 to help retain the lid portion 40 in a closed position. The engagement between the second portion of the tray 64 and the lid portion 40 occurs between the tray front wall 65 and an inner surface of the lid portion front wall 42.

[0122] The container 10 comprises a retention mechanism (not shown in FIGS. 1 to 6) between the first portion of the tray 62 and the box portion 20 to oppose movement of the tray 60 relative to the box portion 20 in response to the lid portion 40 being moved from the closed position to the open position. The retention mechanism is located adjacent a front wall of the box portion. The retention mechanism will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0123] The retention mechanism can be decoupled such that the tray 60 is removable from the container 10 through the box portion opening 31 when the lid portion 40 is the open position.

[0124] A second tray 16 supporting further consumer goods 17 is received in the compartment in a space 18 beneath the tray.

[0125] FIG. 4 shows a container 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion 40 in an open position and the tray 60 is partially removed from the box portion 20. The container 10 is shown with the back of the tray 60 lifted up. In this position the retention mechanism 80 can be decoupled and the tray 60 removed from the box portion 20.

[0126] FIG. 5 shows a container 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion 40 in an open position and the tray 60 fully removed from the box portion 20. With the tray 60 removed from the box portion 20, further consumer goods 14 housed in the container 10 in the space 18 beneath the tray 60 are accessible.

[0127] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the container 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid portion 40 in an open position and the tray 60 partially removed from the box portion 20. FIG. 6 shows the lid portion 40 in a fully open position with the tray 60 in substantially the same position as in FIG. 4. Consumer goods are not shown in this figure, however, recessed portions 61 in the tray 60 for supporting at least some consumer goods 14 are shown. A corresponding recess 46 is shown in the lid portion 40 to receive the consumer goods 14 supported by the tray 60.

[0128] FIG. 7 shows a retention mechanism 780 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The retention mechanism comprises a protrusion 781 on the tray front wall 765 and a corresponding engagement edge 782 on the box portion front wall 722. The protrusion 781 extends from a bottom edge of the tray front wall 765. The corresponding engagement edge 782 is on an inner surface of the of the box portion front wall 722. The inner surface of the box portion front wall 722 is defined by a first box portion front wall panel 783 and a second box portion front wall panel 784. The first box portion front wall panel 783 extends across only a portion of the inner surface of the box portion front wall 722. The corresponding engagement edge 782 on the inner surface of the box portion front wall 722 is an edge of the first box portion front wall panel 783. The engagement edge 782 of the retention mechanism 780 forms part of a slot 785 in the container. The engagement edge 782 forms the top edge 786 of the slot 785. A second tray 716 supporting further consumer goods 717 is received in the compartment below the tray 760. A top surface of the second tray 716 forms the bottom edge 787 of the slot 785.

[0129] The retention mechanism 780 is shown in an engaged configuration in which the protrusion 781 on the tray front wall 765 is received in the slot 785 to oppose movement of the tray 760 relative to the box portion 720 in response to the lid portion being moved from the closed position to the open position.

[0130] FIG. 8 shows a retention mechanism 880 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. A panel 888 is affixed to the bottom of the tray 860 such that a portion of the panel protrudes away from the tray 860 to form the protrusion 881 of the tray 860. The protrusion 881 extends from a bottom edge of the tray front wall 865. The corresponding engagement edge 882 is on an inner surface of the of the box portion front wall 822. The engagement edge 882 of the retention mechanism 880 forms part of a slot 885 on the inner surface of the box portion front wall 822. The slot 885 on the inner surface of the box portion front wall 822 is defined by a debossed portion of the box portion front wall 822. The engagement edge 882 forms the top surface of this slot 885. A second tray 816 supporting further consumer goods 817 is received in the compartment below the tray 860.

[0131] The retention mechanism 880 is shown in an engaged configuration in which the protrusion 881 on the tray front wall 865 is received in the slot 885 to oppose movement of the tray 860 relative to the box portion 820 in response to the lid portion being moved from the closed position to the open position.