Rigid carton of packets of cigarettes including finger hole
A rigid carton of packets of cigarettes, having a first container, which houses a group of packets of cigarettes and is in turn housed inside a second container so as to slide, with respect to the second container, between a closed position wherein the first container is fully inserted inside the second container, and an open position wherein part of the first container is extracted from the second container.
1. A rigid carton of packets of cigarettes, the carton comprising
a first container ( 3 ) for a group ( 4 ) of said packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes comprising an open top end ( 12 ), a bottom wall ( 13 ) opposite the open top end ( 12 ), two opposite parallel lateral walls ( 14 ), and two opposite parallel, respectively front and rear end walls ( 15 , 16 ); and
a second container ( 5 ) housing the first container ( 3 ) in sliding manner, so as to enable the first container ( 3 ) to slide, with respect to the second container ( 5 ), between a closed position wherein the first container ( 3 ) is fully inserted inside the second container ( 5 ), and an open position wherein part of the first container ( 3 ) is extracted from the second container ( 5 );
wherein the bottom wall ( 13 ) of the first container ( 3 ) comprises at least one first through hole sized to permit insertion of a user's finger.
2. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall ( 13 ) of the first container ( 3 ) comprises, for each packet ( 2 ) of cigarettes, a first through hole sized to permit insertion of a user's finger and located at a bottom wall of the packet ( 2 ) of cigarettes.
3. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second container ( 5 ) is substantially in the form of a tubular parallelepiped defined by a lateral surface ( 6 ), which comprises two opposite parallel lateral walls ( 7 ), a top wall ( 8 ), and a bottom wall ( 9 ) parallel to and opposite the top wall ( 8 ).
4. A carton as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the second container ( 5 ) is in the form of a tubular parallelepiped having one end closed by an end wall ( 10 ), and an open end ( 11 ); when the first container ( 3 ) is in the closed position, each lateral wall ( 14 ) of the first container ( 3 ) being parallel to and facing a respective lateral wall ( 7 ) of the second container ( 5 ), the bottom wall ( 13 ) of the first container ( 3 ) being parallel to and facing the bottom wall ( 9 ) of the second container ( 5 ), the open top end ( 12 ) of the first container ( 3 ) facing the top wall ( 8 ) of the second container ( 5 ), the rear end wall ( 16 ) of the first container ( 3 ) being parallel to and facing the end wall ( 10 ) of the second container ( 5 ), and the front end wall ( 15 ) of the first container ( 3 ) facing the open end ( 11 ) of the second container ( 5 ).
5. A carton as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the end wall ( 10 ) of the second container ( 5 ) has at least one second through hole ( 17 ) sized to permit insertion of a user's finger.
6. A carton as claimed in claim 4 , wherein each lateral wall ( 7 ) of the second container ( 5 ) has a recess ( 18 ) close to the open end ( 11 ).
7. A carton as claimed in claim 6 , wherein each recess ( 18 ) is substantially semicircular.
8. A carton as claimed in claim 4 , and further comprising stop means ( 19 , 20 ) for limiting slide of the first container ( 3 ) with respect to the second container ( 5 ) and so preventing detachment of the first container ( 3 ) from the second container ( 5 ).
9. A carton as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the stop means ( 19 , 20 ) comprise at least one first tongue ( 19 ), which projects outwards of the first container ( 3 ) from a respective lateral wall ( 14 ) of the first container ( 3 ), and is located close to the rear end wall ( 16 ) of the first container ( 3 ); and a second tongue ( 20 ), which projects inwards of the second container ( 5 ) from a respective lateral wall ( 7 ) of the second container ( 5 ), and is located close to the open end ( 11 ) of the second container ( 5 ); the first and second tongue ( 19 , 20 ) being so positioned that the first tongue ( 19 ) engages the second tongue ( 20 ) as the first container ( 3 ) is slid out of the second container ( 5 ).
10. A carton as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the end walls ( 15 , 16 ) of the first container ( 3 ) are substantially the same size as a packet ( 2 ) of cigarettes; the lateral walls ( 14 ) of the first container ( 3 ) varying in height, so as to be the same height as the end walls ( 15 , 16 ) and the packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes close to the end walls ( 15 , 16 ), and to be smaller in height than the end walls ( 15 , 16 ) and the packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes between the end walls ( 15 , 16 ).
11. A carton as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first container ( 3 ) is formed from a flat first blank ( 21 ) comprising two longitudinal crease lines ( 22 ); and a number of transverse crease lines ( 23 ) defining, between the two longitudinal crease lines ( 22 ), a first panel ( 14 ′) defining a lateral wall ( 14 ), a second panel ( 13 ′) defining the bottom wall ( 13 ), and a third panel ( 14 ″) defining the other lateral wall ( 14 ); the first panel ( 14 ′) having two first tabs ( 15 ′, 16 ′), which are located on opposite sides of the first panel ( 14 ′), are separated from the first panel ( 14 ′) by the two longitudinal crease lines ( 22 ), and define the end walls ( 15 , 16 ).
12. A carton as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the second panel ( 13 ′) of the first blank ( 21 ) has two second tabs ( 24 ), which are located on opposite sides of the second panel ( 13 ′), are separated from the second panel ( 13 ′) by the two longitudinal crease lines ( 22 ), and define respective inner portions of the end walls ( 15 , 16 ); the third panel ( 14 ″) of the first blank ( 21 ) has two third tabs ( 25 ), which are located on opposite sides of the third panel ( 14 ″), are separated from the third panel ( 14 ″) by the two longitudinal crease lines ( 22 ), and define respective inner portions of the end walls ( 15 , 16 ); the second and third tabs ( 24 , 25 ) being so shaped as not to overlap when folded onto the first tabs ( 15 ′, 16 ′).
13. A carton as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the second container ( 5 ) is formed from a flat second blank ( 26 ) comprising a number of transverse crease lines ( 27 ), which define a first panel ( 8 ′) defining the top wall ( 8 ), a second panel ( 7 ′) defining a lateral wall ( 7 ), a third panel ( 9 ′) defining the bottom wall ( 9 ), and a fourth panel ( 7 ″) defining the other lateral wall ( 7 ); the second panel ( 7 ′) having a first tab ( 10 ′), which is separated from the first panel ( 7 ′) by a longitudinal crease line ( 28 ) and defines the end wall ( 10 ).
14. A carton as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first, third and fourth panel ( 8 ′, 9 ′, 7 ″) of the second blank ( 26 ) have three respective second tabs ( 29 , 30 , 31 ), which are separated from the corresponding panels ( 8 ′, 9 ′, 7 ″) by the longitudinal crease line ( 28 ), define respective inner portions of the end wall ( 10 ), and are so shaped as not to overlap when folded onto the first tab ( 10 ′).
15. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , and further comprising supporting means for holding each packet ( 2 ) of cigarettes firmly in place inside the first container ( 3 ).
16. A carton as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the supporting means comprise at least one partition inserted inside the first container ( 3 ).
17. A carton as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the supporting means comprise a number of partitions inserted inside the first container ( 3 ) and defining a number of pockets, each for housing a respective packet ( 2 ) of cigarettes.
18. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , and further comprising a first overwrapping of transparent plastic material enclosing the first container ( 3 ) together with the group ( 4 ) of packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes.
19. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , and further comprising a second overwrapping enclosing the second container ( 5 ).
20. A carton as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the second overwrapping is made of transparent plastic material.
21. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each packet ( 2 ) of cigarettes is in the form of a parallelepiped having two end walls and a lateral surface, which is bounded by the end walls and defined by two major, respectively front and rear, lateral walls, and by two minor lateral walls; the group ( 4 ) of packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes comprising one row of packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes, in which the major lateral walls of the packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes are arranged contacting one another.
22. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each packet ( 2 ) of cigarettes is in the form of a parallelepiped having two end walls and a lateral surface, which is bounded by the end walls and defined by two major, respectively front and rear, lateral walls, and by two minor lateral walls; the group ( 4 ) of packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes comprising two side by side rows of packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes, in each of which the minor lateral walls of the packets ( 2 ) of cigarettes are arranged contacting one another.
23. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the longitudinal edges and transverse edges of the first container ( 3 ) and the second container ( 5 ) are beveled or rounded.
24. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the walls ( 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 14 , 15 ) defining said first and said second container ( 3 , 5 ) has at least one arc-shaped portion close to one of its edges.