AU2005269054B2

AU2005269054B2 - Hinged lid box for cigarettes and method and device for the production thereof

Info

Publication number: AU2005269054B2
Application number: AU2005269054A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Michael Seemann
Original assignee: Focke and Co GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Focke and Co GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2004-07-30
Filing date: 2005-07-02
Publication date: 2010-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-02
Also published as: EP2277787A8; RU2397129C2; WO2006012960A1; EP1771342A1; RU2007107344A; EP2277787B1; DE102004037433A1; AU2005269054A1; PL2277787T3; EP2277787A1

Description

- 1 HINGED LID BOX FOR CIGARETTES AND METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREOF Description 5 The invention relates to a hinged lid box in particular for cigarettes, consisting of a box part, a lid attached thereto in a hinged manner and a separate collar, which collar is anchored with a lower section in the box part, and the upper 10 section of which, with the lid closed, is enclosed by the latter. The invention also relates to a method and a device for the manufacture of such hinged lid boxes. A requirement that is encountered increasingly in the 15 production of cigarette packs is to apply information, advertising messages, markings, etc., to the packs in such a way that, on the one hand, they are perceived by the consumer as a message, but without their application adversely affecting the manufacturing process of the pack. Hinged lid 20 boxes for cigarettes are generally provided on their outside with printing, which partly has an informative content but partly serves for advertising purposes. It is desirable for the invention to provide a pack of the 25 hinged lid box type, including means for the production of the same, which includes informative messages and/or advertising messages in an arrangement that is capable of being perceived by the consumer, but without their application adversely affecting the manufacturing process. 30 A hinged lid box according to one or more embodiments of the invention is characterized in that the collar consisting of a separate blank preferably exhibits letters, numbers or - 2 emblems applied by embossing, that is to say by material deformation, in the area of the front wall of the collar. The application of the necessary elements in the form of 5 words, numbers or images in the area of the collar assures their perception by the consumer if the embossings are arranged in the area of the collar projecting from the box part. The possibility also exists, however, for information relating to the manufacture of the pack content or the pack 10 that is not directly intended for the consumer to be positioned in an area of the collar that is arranged inside the box part. One distinctive feature is the application of the embossings 15 on the collar. In conjunction with the production of the individual collar blanks by their separation from a web of material or a web of collars, the embossing is applied more or less at the same time by means of a device that is also used for other process operations. This accordingly avoids 20 the need for an additional process stage. On the contrary, the collar apparatus, namely a separating device and/or a punching and embossing device, is preferably provided with readily interchangeable embossing units, which apply. the embossing accurately to the collar blank during manufacture 25 of the same. In this way, exact positioning of the embossing is also assured without the need for special guide devices. According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a cigarette box including a box body; a lid hingedly attached 30 to the box body; a collar blank forming a collar including a lower section anchored in the box body and an upper section enclosed by the lid when the lid is closed; and a closing edge located between a front wall of the box body and the collar, wherein - 2a the collar further includes a collar front wall having a first portion projecting from the box body above the closing edge, the first portion exhibiting embossed imprints, markings or inscriptions bearing customer information; and a 5 second portion concealed by the box body below the closing edge, the second portion exhibiting embossed imprints, markings or inscriptions bearing numbers or data relating to a manufacture and/or origin of cigarettes. 10 According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for the manufacture of collar blanks for the cigarette box according to the above, the apparatus including a punching device for separating collar blanks from a continuous collar web, the punching device including a 15 knife cylinder and a counter roller arranged above and below the collar web, wherein the knife cylinder includes: a plurality of contoured knife oriented transversely to the collar web, the knives being arranged and distributed around the periphery of the knife cylinder; and 20 at least one embossing device, each provided between two contoured knives, the embossing device being adapted to transfer letter, number and/or graphical representation imprints to the collar web by material-deforming embossing during a severing cut. 25 Further distinctive features of the pack, the manufacturing process and the device are explained below with reference to the drawings, in which: 30 Fig. 1 depicts a hinged lid box with the lid open in a perspective view; Fig. 2 depicts a collar apparatus in a schematic lateral view with devices for the application of embossings to the collar; - 2b Fig. 3 depicts a section through the device according to fig. 2 in a view from above, on an enlarged - 3 scale, corresponding to the arrow III in fig. 2; fig. 4 depicts a section IV in fig. 2 on a further enlarged scale, as a vertical cross section. 5 In the cigarette pack illustrated by way of example in fig. 1, the item in question is a hinged lid box primarily consisting of a lower box part 10 and a lid 11. In addition, a collar 12 is a component part of the 10 hinged lid box. The collar 12 is in the form of a separate blank made of thin cardboard or the like and exhibits a collar front wall 13 and collar side flaps 14 embodied in the typical manner. The collar 12 is arranged in the box part 10 and is attached with a 15 lower section by gluing to the inside of a box front wall 15 and/or to box side walls 16. An upper section of the collar 12 projects from the box part 10 and lies inside the lid 11 with the latter in the closed position. The intended pack content is a group of 20 cigarettes, which is surrounded by an inner blank made of paper or metal foil and as such forms a block of cigarettes 17 completely occupying the internal space of the hinged lid box. A distinctive feature of the depicted pack is that it exhibits rounded upright pack 25 edges 18, and that the collar 12 exhibits correspondingly rounded collar edges 19. The collar 12 and, to be precise, the collar front wall 13 in the case of the present example, is provided with 30 an imprint 20, 21. This is applied (exclusively) by embossing, that is to say by the deformation of the material of the collar 12. With regard to its content, the imprint 20 consists of information, advertising messages, etc., intended for the customer. These are 35 applied to the area of the collar 12 projecting from the box part 10 or to the collar front wall 13, namely above a closing edge 22 formed by the front wall 15 of the box. Other imprints 21, in particular numbers and data relating to the manufacture and origin of the - 4 cigarettes, can be applied, as illustrated in fig. 1, to the concealed part of the collar 12, that is to say below the closing edge 22. 5 One distinctive feature is the production of the embossings to form the imprints 20, 21. The blanks for the collar 12 are manufactured by separating them from a continually fed material web made of thin cardboard, namely a collar web 23. A collar apparatus illustrated 10 by way of example in fig. 2 consists primarily of a cutting or punching arrangement for separating the blanks for the collar 12. The items in question in this case are cutting cylinders consisting of a knife cylinder 24 arranged above the collar web 23 and a 15 counter-roller 25 arranged below the collar web 23. The knife cylinder 24 exhibits a number of cutting knives 26 arranged around the periphery. The items in question in this case are step-like raised parts or protuberances (fig. 4), which are executed in their 20 cross section with a projecting sharp edge. The cutting knives 26 extend over the full width of the knife cylinder 24 and the collar web 23, so that a collar 12 is produced in each case by a transversely oriented parting cut through the rolling movement of the knife 25 cylinder 24. The cutting knives 26 are executed according to the contour of the collar 12 to be produced, that is to say with a conventional depression on the upper side and a corresponding protuberance on the under side. The distances of the (plurality of) 30 cutting knives 26 from one another in the peripheral direction of the knife cylinder 24 correspond to the dimension of a collar 12 in the direction of movement. The collars 12 that have been separated from the collar 35 web 23 are gripped by feed rollers 27 and are conveyed to a rounding unit 28. This is used to produce or pre form the rounded edge 19 of the collar. The rounding unit 28 is designed in accordance with US 5 261 209.

-5 The embossings for the imprint 20, 21 are applied to the collar 12 or to the collar web 23 in the area of the collar apparatus. A distinguishing feature is the arrangement of embossing devices or embossing dies 29, 5 30 on the knife cylinder 24. The embossing dies 29, 30 in this case are positioned in such a way that the embossing pressure is transferred to the collar web 23 and the collars 12 in the course of the rotating movements of the knife cylinder 24 in conjunction with 10 the counter-roller 25. The letters, numbers or other symbols are executed as protuberances 31 on the embossing dies 29, 30 and are set back with the outer boundary surfaces opposite the cutting edges of the cutting knives 26 (fig. 4) . Whereas the cutting knife 15 26 passes completely through the material in the case of a cutting or punching cut for the purpose of separating the collar 12, the embossing dies 29, 30 and their protuberances 31 only enter a facing partial cross section of the collar web 23 and the collar 12. 20 Permanent embossing is produced in this way. The embossing dies 29, 30 consist of an elongated supporting piece 32 with the protuberances 31 applied to one side. The supporting pieces 32 are arranged and 25 removably attached in recesses 33 with parallel axes in the knife cylinder 24, in this case with securing screws 34. As a result, the embossing dies 29, 30 may be readily exchanged or replaced. 30 The position of the embossing dies 29,30 relative to the cutting knives 26 is selected so that the relative position of the various embossings and imprints 20, 21 depicted in fig. 1 is achieved. This means that the embossing die 29 for the imprint 20 positioned outside 35 the box part 10 is arranged adjacent to a protuberance in the cutting knife 26 for the rearward parting cut in the direction of advance (fig. 3). The other embossing die 30 is positioned at a distance from and adjacent to the front cutting knife 26.

- 6 A pair of embossing rollers 35, 36 is arranged ahead of the cutting unit consisting of the knife cylinder 24 and the counter-roller 25 in the direction of advance. 5 In the area of the cutting unit, longitudinal grooves 37 are introduced into the collar web 37 by embossing with a view to facilitating the manufacture of the rounded collar edges 19. As an alternative (or in addition) to the depicted illustrative embodiment, the 10 embossing dies 29,30 can be arranged and can act in the area of these embossing rollers 35, 36. Alternatively, the collar apparatus can also be executed in such a way that customary impressions 15 and/or embossings are applied by means of first roller shaped and disc-shaped devices to the collar web 23 for the purpose of defining the collar edges, whereupon the collars are separated by a punching device. In the case of this illustrative embodiment, the embossing dies 29, 20 30 can be attached in the area of the preceding processing rollers and/or in the area of a punch (operating at set intervals). What is important in each case is for the embossing to be produced in chronological and spatial association with necessary 25 processing means in the course of the production of the collars. The embossing device is situated above the collar web 23 in the depicted illustrative embodiment, in 30 conjunction with which the front side of the collars 12 (in relation to the hinged lid box) is oriented downwards. By causing the collar web 23 to turn over, or by the arrangement of the embossing devices underneath the collar web 23, the embossings 20, 21 can 35 be configured in such a way that any raised areas of the material are oriented outwards.

- 7 List of reference designations 10 box part 11 lid 5 12 collar 13 collar front wall 14 collar side flaps 15 box front wall 16 box side wall 10 17 block of cigarettes 18 pack edge 19 collar edge 20 imprint 21 imprint 15 22 closing edge 23 collar web 24 knife cylinder 25 counter-roller 26 cutting knife 20 27 feed roller 28 rounding unit 29 embossing die 30 embossing die 31 protuberance 25 32 supporting piece 33 recess 34 securing screw 35 embossing roller 36 embossing roller 30 37 longitudinal groove

Claims

1. A cigarette box including a box body; a lid hingedly attached to the box body; a collar blank forming a collar 5 including a lower section anchored in the box body and an upper section enclosed by the lid when the lid is closed; and a closing edge located between a front wall of the box body and the collar, wherein the collar further includes a collar front wall having a 10 first portion projecting from the box body above the closing edge, the first portion exhibiting embossed imprints, markings or inscriptions bearing customer information; and a second portion concealed by the box body below the closing edge, the second portion exhibiting embossed imprints, 15 markings or inscriptions bearing numbers or data relating to a manufacture and/or origin of cigarettes.

2. The hinged lid box according to claim 1, wherein the imprints, preferably markings or inscriptions, are applied in 20 the area of the collar front wall by means of inwardly directed embossing.

3. An apparatus for the manufacture of collar blanks for the cigarette box according to any one of the preceding 25 claims, the apparatus including a punching device for separating collar blanks from a continuous collar web, the punching device including a knife cylinder and a counter roller arranged above and below the collar web, wherein the knife cylinder includes: 30 a plurality of contoured knife oriented transversely to the collar web, the knives being arranged and distributed around the periphery of the knife cylinder; and - 9 at least one embossing device, each provided between two contoured knives, the embossing device being adapted to transfer letter, number and/or graphical representation imprints to the collar web by material-deforming embossing 5 during a severing cut.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further including embossing rollers for applying embossings and/or impressions on the collar web, the embossing rollers including embossing 10 dies for transferring imprints to the collar web by material deforming embossing.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the knife cylinder and/or embossing roller includes on its 15 periphery, embossing dies with protuberances for embossing, the embossing dies being detachable from the knife cylinder and/or the embossing roller.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the 20 embossing dies are positioned in a recess on the knife cylinder and/or embossing rollers and attached by .screws.

7. The device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein a plurality of embossing dies are arranged adjacent 25 to one another on the knife cylinder and/or the embossing roller in the peripheral direction, centrally in relation to a cylinder axis.

8. A cigarette box substantially according to any one of 30 the embodiments herein described with reference to the accompanying figures. - 10

9. An apparatus for manufacture of collar blanks substantially according to any one of the embodiments herein described with reference to the accompanying, figures. 5 FOCKE & CO. (GMBH & CO) WATERMARK PATENT AND TRADE MARKS ATTORNEYS P28287AU00