CONTAINER WITH IMPROVED MAGNETIC CLOSURE

Abstract

A hinge lid container (100) for consumer articles comprises a box portion (102) formed from a blank having a thickness (T) and defining a front wall of the box portion (102); a lid portion (104); and an inner frame (108) received within the box portion (102). A portion of an inner frame front wall (110) extends beyond an upper edge of the box portion front wall. A magnetic closure comprising a first magnetic material (200) is provided on an inner surface of the lid portion (104). A second magnetic material (202) is provided on the inner frame front wall (110). The first and second magnetic materials (200, 202) overlap when the lid portion (104) is in the closed position to magnetically retain the lid portion in the closed position. The second magnetic material (202) is a flexible magnetic laminar material applied on the outer surface of the inner frame front wall (110) such 102 that the outer surface of the flexible magnetic laminar material is horizontally offset from the outer surface of the box portion front wall by a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness (T) of the blank.

Claims

1. A container for consumer articles, the container comprising: a box portion at least partially formed from a blank having a thickness (T), the blank defining a front wall of the box portion; a lid portion depending along a hinge line from a back wall of the box portion, wherein the lid portion is moveable about the hinge line between an open position, in which consumer goods can be removed from the container, and a closed position, in which consumer goods cannot be removed from the container; an inner frame received within the box portion, the inner frame comprising an inner frame front wall wherein a portion of the frame front wall extends beyond an upper edge of the front wall of the box portion; a magnetic closure comprising a first magnetic material provided on an inner surface of the lid portion and a second magnetic material provided on the inner frame front wall, wherein the first and second magnetic materials are arranged to overlap when the lid portion is in the closed position so that the magnetic closure releasably retains the lid portion in the closed position; wherein the second magnetic material is a flexible magnetic laminar material applied on the outer surface of the inner frame front wall such that the outer surface of the flexible magnetic laminar material is horizontally offset from the outer surface of the front wall of the box portion by a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness (T) of the blank.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the lid portion comprises a lid front wall and a lid flap depending from the lid front wall along an edge fold line, the lid flap being folded inward towards the inner surface of the front lid wall, the first magnetic material being applied on the outer surface of the lid flap.

3. A container according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic material comprises a magnetisable material.

4. A container according to claim 1, wherein the second magnetic material comprises at least 30 percent by weight of at least one of barium ferrite, strontium ferrite, cobalt ferrite, and a rare earth cobalt.

5. A container according to claim 1, wherein the second magnetic material has a thickness of between about 0.1 milimetres and about 0.4 milimetres.

6. A container according to claim 1, wherein the flexible magnetic laminar material is a flexible magnetic tape or an extruded material.

7. A container according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic material is a magnetic print.

8. A container according to claim 1, wherein the print has a thickness of less than about 1 to 30 micrometres.

9. A container according to claim 1, containing a plurality of smoking articles.

10. A method of forming a container for consumer goods, the method comprising: providing first and second laminar blanks, the first laminar blank having a thickness (T); applying a first magnetic material on the first laminar blank; applying a second magnetic laminar material on the second laminar blank; and folding the first and second laminar blanks to form first and second folded blanks, the folded blanks co-operating to form a container comprising a compartment for receiving consumer goods; inserting the second folded blank within the first folded blank, such that at least a portion of the first folded blank is moveable relative to the second folded blank between a closed position in which consumer goods cannot be removed from the compartment and an open position in which consumer goods can be removed from the compartment; wherein the first magnetic material is applied on the moveable portion and wherein the first magnetic material and the flexible magnetic laminar material are arranged to overlap when the moveable portion is in the closed position, so that the first magnetic material and the flexible magnetic laminar material form a magnetic closure that releasably retains the moveable portion in the closed position: and wherein the second magnetic material is a flexible magnetic laminar material applied on the second laminar blank before the second laminar blank is folded and received within the first folded blank, such that, in the assembled container, the outer surface of the flexible magnetic laminar material is offset from the outer surface of the first folded blank by a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness (T) of the blank.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the flexible magnetic laminar material is a flexible magnetic tape.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of applying the first magnetic material on the first laminar blank comprises applying the magnetic material on the laminar blank using gravure printing, offset printing, flexographic printing, lithographic printing, screen printing, slot die coating, roll coating or reverse roll coating, knife-over-roll gravure and reverse direct gravure, wire rod coating, air-knife coating, or slot-orifice coating.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the first magnetic material comprises a magnetisable material, and wherein the magnetisable material is unmagnetised during the applying step.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of, after the folding step, magnetising the first magnetisable material to form a permanent magnet.

15. A method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of printing at least one ink onto the first magnetic material after the applying step.

Description

[0061] The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings of the accompanying Figures, wherein:

[0062] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic perspective view of a container in accordance with the present invention;

[0063] FIG. 2 depicts a schematic side cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1;

[0064] FIG. 3 depicts a schematic top view of a strip of continuous blank material from which inner frames for a container according to the present invention may be cut; and

[0065] FIG. 4 depicts a schematic top view of a blank for forming the box and lid portions of a container in accordance with the present invention.

[0066] FIG. 1 illustrates a container 100 that is rectangular parallelepipedal in shape and comprises a box portion 102 and a hinge lid 104 connected to the box portion along a hinge line 106 extending across the back wall of the container 100. The overall size and construction of the box and lid of the container are substantially the same as those of a standard hinge lid cigarette pack. The box portion 102 comprises a box front wall, a box back wall, a box bottom wall, a box left side wall and a box right side wall. The hinge lid 104 comprises a lid front wall, a lid back wall, a lid top wall, a lid left side wall and a lid left side wall. The hinge lid 104 is pivotable about the hinge line 106 between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the hinge lid 104 covers an access opening of the container and the walls of the hinge lid form extensions of the corresponding walls of the box portion 102. In the open position (illustrated in FIG. 1), the hinge lid 104 pivots about the hinge line 106 to project backwardly from the box portion 102 and the access opening at the top end of the box portion 102 may be fully uncovered. The box portion 102 and the hinge lid 104 may be formed together from a single laminar blank having a thickness T. The container 100 may be assembled from the laminar blank and filled using standard apparatus.

[0067] Further, the container 100 comprises an inner frame 108 received within the box portion 102. The inner frame 108 comprises an inner frame front wall 110, a portion of which extends beyond an upper edge of the front wall of the box portion 102.

[0068] In addition, the container 100 comprises a magnetic closure comprising a first magnetic material 200 provided on an inner surface of the hinge lid 104 and a second magnetic material 202 provided on the inner frame front wall 110. The first and second magnetic materials 200, 202 are arranged to overlap when the hinge lid 104 is in the closed position, so that the magnetic closure releasably retains the hinge lid 104 in the closed position.

[0069] The second magnetic material 202 is a flexible magnetic laminar material applied on the outer surface of the inner frame front wall 110, such as a flexible magnetic tape. Thus, the outer surface of the flexible magnetic laminar material is horizontally offset from the outer surface of the front wall of the box portion by a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness T of the blank.

[0070] The first magnetic material 200 comprises a magnetisable material and has a thickness of about 20 microns. Further the second magnetic material 202 comprises at least 30 percent by weight of at least one of barium ferrite, strontium ferrite, cobalt ferrite, and a rare earth cobalt, and has a thickness of about 0.2 milimetres. The second magnetic material is magnetized for the first time on the packing machine.

[0071] A container according to the present invention may be formed by providing a first laminar blank for forming the box and hinge lid portions and a second laminar blank for forming the inner frame. The first laminar blank has a predetermined thickness T. A first magnetic material is applied on the first laminar blank and a second magnetic laminar material is applied on the second laminar blank. The first and second laminar blanks are folded to form the box and lid and the inner frame, respectively, and the inner frame is inserted within the first folded blank. The container thus formed may then be filled with a plurality of smoking articles.

[0072] The second laminar blank may be cut from the strip 300 of laminar blank material depicted in FIG. 3. A band of flexible magnetic laminar material 302 is provided on the strip 300, well before a container according to the present invention is assembled. One such strip may then be wound in a reel or bobbin and stored. When needed, the strip may be unwound and, by a cutting operation, blanks for forming inner frames of containers according to the present invention may conveniently be separated from neighbouring inner frame blanks.

[0073] FIG. 4 is a view of a first laminar blank 400 for forming a container for consumer goods according to the invention. In FIG. 1, solid lines indicate cut lines and dashed lines indicate fold lines. The blank 400 comprises a box blank portion 402 for forming the box portion of the container and a lid blank portion 404 for forming a lid portion of a container according to the invention. The box blank portion 402 depends from the lid blank portion 404 along the hinge line 403.

[0074] The box blank portion 402 comprises a front wall panel 408, a rear wall panel 412 and a bottom wall panel 409. Two side wall panels 410 extend from front wall panel 408, two side wall panels 411 extend from rear wall panel 412, and two box dust flaps 413 extend from side wall panels 411. When the box portion of the container is assembled from the box blank portion 401, the front wall panel 408 forms the container front wall, the rear wall panel 412 forms the container rear wall, the side wall panels 410, 411 overlap to form left and right side container walls, and the box dust flaps 413 overlap the bottom wall panel 409 to form the container bottom wall. The side wall panels 410, 411 are substantially the same size and shape as each other. When the container is formed, the side wall panels 410, 411 directly overlie each other with their free edges substantially aligned, such that the inner side wall panel is barely visible. The box dust flaps 413 are smaller than the bottom wall panel 409. When the container is formed, the box dust flaps 413 lie inside the bottom wall panel 409. They provide additional structural support for the container bottom wall of the container but are not visible from the outside of the container.

[0075] The lid blank portion 404 comprises a front wall panel 414, a rear wall panel 418 and a top wall panel 420. Two side wall panels 416 extend from the front wall panel 414, two side wall panels 417 extend from the rear wall panel 418, and lid dust flaps 419 extend from the side wall panels 417. When the lid portion of the container is assembled from the lid blank portion 402, the front wall panel 414 forms the container front wall, the rear wall panel 418 forms the container rear wall, the side wall panels 416, 417 overlap to form right and left container side walls, and the lid dust flaps 419 overlap top wall panel 420 to form the lid top wall. The side wall panels 416, 417 are substantially the same size and shape as each other. When the container is formed, the panels 416, 417 directly overlie each other with their free edges substantially aligned, such that the inner side wall panel is barely visible. The lid dust flaps 419 are smaller than the top wall panel 420. When the container is formed, the lid dust flaps 419 lie inside the top wall panel 420. They provide additional structural support for the container (lid) top wall, but are not visible from the outside of the container.

[0076] The blank 400 can be fed into a conventional packing machine for forming a parallelepiped hinged lid container. In particular, the front wall panel 414 of the lid blank portion 404 is for forming a lid front wall of the assembled container. The lid blank portion 404 further comprises a lid flap panel 425 depending from the front wall panel 414 along an edge fold line 426. A first magnetic material 430 is applied on the first laminar blank 400 over a portion of the lid flap panel 425 by gravure printing.