US3019892A - Cigarette dispensing package - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 6, 1962 J. GELLERT 3,019,892

CIGARETTE DISPENSING PACKAGE Filed Feb. 19, 1960 INVENTOFL J OBST GELEE'KT' A1TORNEY ited States atent Ofihce 3,019,892 Patented Feb. 6, 1962 3,019,892 CIGARETTE DISPENSING PACKAGE Jobst Geller-t, 227 Viewmont Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed Feb. 19,1960, Ser. No. 9,897 8 Claims. (Cl. 206-412) This invention relates to a cigarette package and in particular to a package which has a novel construction whereby a cigarette may be extracted from the package by the simple expedient of sliding the top to form a discharge slot and then tilting the package.

An object of the present invention is to provide a package which a motorist may use with one hand to extract a cigarette while driving.

The cigarette package of the present invention comprises abase having a bottom, a front wall and side walls joined together in a substantially firm structure; a movable section slidably fitted to said base and having a top,

side and rear walls, a divider fastened to the front edge of the top and projecting towards the bottom, said divider being positioned to normally lie against the inside of the front wall and being of a depth to have its lower edge terminate above the bottom a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a cigarette; said base and movable section combining to form a package whereby upon sliding said top section laterally relative to said base a slot is formed between the front wall and the divider through which one cigarette at a time will be dispensed by tilting the package from a substantially horizontal plane through an angle slightly greater than 90; and means slidably retaining said section in its package forming condition without interfering with the dispensing of the cigarette.

In addition to the advantage of being able to extract a cigarette without the use of two hands, another advantage of the package of the present invention is that the cigarette may be removed quite easily from the package without touching the cigarette with the hands. This is of advantage since it is more sanitary to remove the cigarette with the lips in the manner hereinafter described than by gripping it between the thumb and fingers.

Other and further advantages of the package of this invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 illustrates the novel construction of the package.

FIGURE 2 shows the package fully assembled.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section on the line 33 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the package dispensing one cigarette, and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

In its preferred construction, the package is made from a single sheet of substantially stiff cardboard sheet Which is creased so that it will fold along the crease lines to form the package. Any standard package forming machine can be readily adapted to form the proper crease lines along which the package can be folded into the shape and form of the present invention. It will, of course, be understood that other materials may be used in place of cardboard sheet which is used to illustrate the construction and operation of the invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the base is generally indicated by the numeral 10, the base consisting of a bottom 11, a front wall 12, end walls 13, 14, the end walls being formed slightly longer than the width of the base so that they can form end folds 15, 16, which are glued to the inside of the front wall, thus forming the base into a substantially firm structure. The front wall is formed with a diagonal extension 17 adjacent the end wall 13, the diagonal section having a flap 18 which is glued to the outside of the end wall 13. The purpose of the diagonal member 17 will be apparent from the subsequent description.

The cardboard sheet is creased, as shown, along lines to form the foregoing parts and is folded along those lines to form the base.

The movable section which is indicated by the reference numeral 19, and is also formed by the same cardboard sheet as the base 10, consists of the top 20, side walls 21,- 22, a rear wall 23, the rear wall 23 being provided with flaps 24, 25, which are folded inwardly so as toslide against the end walls 13, 14. The flaps 24, 25, are not fastened to the end walls 13, 14. Fastened to the front edge of the top is a divider 26 which extends downwardly towards the bottom and has its front edge of a depth that it will terminate above the bottom a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a cigarette. The side walls 21, 22, are formed with turned in flaps 27, 28, which are fastened to the inside of the divider 26. The parts of the movable section are formed by creasing the cardboard sheet along the lines shown and then folded along those lines to form the movable section.

The package is formed. of a size that will hold three layers of cigarettes, seven, seven and six cigarettes, respectively, in each of the three layers. Of course the size is given by way of explanation and not as a limitation.

As will be seen in FIGURE 1, the package is partially folded along the crease lines. By completely folding the top 20, of the movable section 19, down against the base as shown in FIGURE 2, and securing it in that positionby folding the diagonal piece 17 down against the top 20 and then fastening the flap 18 to the side or end wall 13, the package is completed.

Of course, before closing the package, it will be filled with cigarettes, and after filling and closing the package, it will be wrapped and sealed to retain the cigarettes in good condition until required by the smoker.

A smoker desiring a cigarette from the package will, of course, first remove the cellophane wrapping. After that is done, the person will hold the package in either his right or left hand and tip the package slightly to lower the left hand edge of the package relative to the horizontal'plane. This ensures that a cigarette will be positioned adjacent the left hand side of the package. He then slides the top, using his thumb, in the direction of the arrow A. The lateral movement of the movable section will form a slot between the front wall and the divider of substantially the same width as a cigarette and the cigarette which rests on the bottom 11 adjacent the wall will be lying in the bottom of the slot thus formed. Then by rotating the package slightly more than counterclockwise to the position shown in FIGURE 4, the cigarette will be tilted out of the slot, as shown, with the end of the cigarette in a positon that the smoker can take hold of it with his lips. The cigarette is prevented from falling out of the slot by the diagonal member 17, which extends across the lower left hand corner.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the package is susceptible to a number of modifications including methods of forming the base and the top into a firm structure. Consequently the terms used in the foregoing description are by way of explanation and illustration and not by way of limitation.

' What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

I. A cigarette package comprising a base section having a bottom, a front wall and side walls joined together in a substantially firm structure; a movable top section 3 having a top, a rear wall hingedly connected to the top section and base section permitting sliding movement of the top section relative to the base section, said rear wall forming the rear wall of the package; a divider fastened to the front edge of the top and projecting towards the bottom, said divider being positioned to normally lie against the inside of the front wall and being of a depth having its lower edge terminate above the bottom a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a cigarette, and panels projecting down fromthe ends of the top and positioned to lie inside the side walls whereby on sliding, said top section laterally a slot' is formed between the front and thedivider. through which one cigarette will be dispensed by tilting. the package from a substantially horizontal plane through an angle slightly greater than- 90; and means' slidably retaining said section in its package forming condition.

2. A cigarette package according. toolaim- 1-,. the additional feature of. an end flap on each end of the rear wallfolded inwardly to lie against and slidable relative to the side walls, sai'd flaps limiting the sliding movement of the top;

3. A cigarette package according to claim 2,,v in which the" base and the movable section are formed from: a single sheet of cardboard folded along crease lines divid.-- ing said sheet into the aforesaid, bottom, front wall", side walls, top and rear walls, the divider, the endflaps, and the means for retaining the movable sectionin its packageforming eonditon'.

4. Acigarette package according to claim. 1,. in which said means comprises a diagonal member extendingacross' said top and joined to the front wall and the adjacent side wall; said member forming a supportto. retain said cigarette in its positionfor dispensing.

5... A. cigarette package according to claim. 14 in which: the base and the movable section are formedfromasingle sheet of cardboard folded along crease lines dividing saidi sheet into the aforesaid, bottom, front-wall, side walls,

top and rear walls, the divider and the means for retaining the movable section in its package forming condition.

6. A cigarette package according to claim 5, the additional feature of a diagonal member extending from the top edge of the front wall and having a flap arranged to be folded and secured to theend wall.

7. A cigarette package comprising a base having a bottom, a front wall and side walls joined together in a substantially firm structure; a movable section slidably fitted to said base to form a package, said section having a top, side and rear walls, a divider fastened to the front edge of the top and projecting towards the bottom, said divider being positioned to normally lie against the inside of the front wall and being of adepth to have its lower edge terminate above the bottom adistance slightly greater than the thickness of a cigarette'whereby by sliding saidtop section laterally a slot is formed between the front and thedivider through which one cigarette will be dispensed by tilting the package from asubstantially horizontal plane through an angle slightly greater than andmeans slidably retaining, said movable section inits package forming condition without interfering with. the dispensingiof the cigarette, said: base and the movable section being. formed: from asingle sheet of cardboardfolded along crease lines dividingrsaid: sheet into the aforesaid, bottormfront wall, side walls, top and rear walls; the divider andthe means for retaining the movable section in-its package forming. conditions 8. A cigarette package according to claim 7, the additional feature ofa diagonal member extending from the top edge of the front. wall and having a flap arranged to be folded and secured'to. the endwall.

Duell June 12, 1945'

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