Container for consumer goods including dispensing means

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230407-B2
Application number	US-201816761081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Nov 17, 2017
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

A container for consumer goods is provided, including a box to house the consumer goods, a top face of the box being open to provide a top access opening to access an interior of the box, a first box side wall including a side opening proximate the box bottom wall; a lid hingedly connected to the box back wall and movable between a closed lid position in which the lid covers the top access opening and an open lid position in which the top access opening is uncovered; and a dispenser including a tray portion to hold consumer goods and being mounted inside the box and slidable through the side opening between a closed position in which the tray portion is inside the box and a dispensing position in which a part of the tray portion protrudes through the side opening such that the consumer goods are removable.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A container for consumer goods, the container comprising:
a box configured to house the consumer goods, the box comprising a box front wall, a box back wall, a box bottom wall, a first box side wall, and a second box side wall, wherein a top face of the box is at least partially open to provide a top access opening providing access to an interior of the box, and wherein the first box side wall comprises a side opening proximate the box bottom wall;
a lid hingedly connected to the box back wall and movable between a closed lid position in which the lid covers the top access opening and an open lid position in which the top access opening is uncovered; and
a dispensing means for dispensing one or more consumer goods from the container, the dispensing means comprising a tray portion configured to hold the one or more consumer goods, the tray portion being mounted inside the box such that the tray portion is slidable through the side opening in the first box side wall between a closed position, in which the tray portion is inside the box, and a dispensing position, in which a part of the tray portion protrudes through the side opening such that the one or more consumer goods within the tray portion can be removed,
wherein the tray portion comprises a tray bottom wall and a hinge line provided on the tray bottom wall, the hinge line extending between a front edge and a back edge of the tray bottom wall, and wherein when in the dispensing position, the hinge line is outside of the box such that an end part of the tray bottom wall protruding through the side opening is pivotable in a downwards direction relative to the box.

2. The container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tray portion further comprises a first tray side wall, and
wherein in the closed position of the dispensing means, the first tray side wall covers the side opening of the box.

3. The container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tray portion further comprises a second tray side wall at a side of the tray portion that is opposite the side opening, and
wherein in the open position of the dispensing means the second tray side wall remains inside the box to restrict movement of the one or more consumer goods on the tray portion of the dispensing means back into the box.

4. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the dispensing means further comprises retention means for preventing movement of the tray portion beyond the dispensing position.

5. The container according to claim 4 ,
wherein the tray portion further comprises a tray front wall and a tray back wall,
wherein at least one of the tray front wall and the tray back wall comprises an increased height portion having a height that is larger than a height of the side opening,
wherein the increased height portion is configured to move towards the first box side wall as the tray portion is moved towards the dispensing position, and
wherein the increased height portion abuts the first box side wall when the tray portion reaches the dispensing position to prevent the movement of the tray portion beyond the dispensing position.

6. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the dispensing means further comprises a pull tab extending from the tray portion such that in the closed position of the dispensing means, the pull tab protrudes through the side opening.

7. The container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the side opening is provided at a bottom edge of the first side wall, and
wherein the tray portion is slidable along an inner surface of the box bottom wall.

8. The container according to claim 1 , wherein in the dispensing position, the tray portion protrudes through the side opening by a distance corresponding to at least one third of a distance between the first box side wall and the second box side wall.

9. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the dispensing means is configured to dispense an individual consumer good.

10. The container according to claim 1 ,
further comprising a separator element mounted within the box,
wherein the separator element separates an internal volume of the box into an upper compartment, which is accessible through the top access opening and a lower compartment containing the consumer goods, and
wherein the consumer goods are dispensed from the lower compartment by the dispensing means.

11. The container according to claim 10 , wherein the separator element is slidable within the box to adjust relative volumes of the upper compartment and the lower compartment.

12. The container according to claim 10 , wherein the separator element comprises a separator transverse wall extending across the internal volume of the box and a separator front wall, a separator back wall, and separator side walls, depending from the separator transverse wall, and
wherein the separator front wall, the separator back wall, and the separator side walls lie against an inner surface of the box front wall, the box back wall, and the box side walls, respectively.

13. The container according to claim 12 , wherein a barrier layer is provided on at least one surface of the separator transverse wall.

14. The container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the box contains a plurality of aerosol-generating articles,
wherein the plurality of aerosol-generating articles are transversely arranged, with a longitudinal axis of each aerosol-generating article extending horizontally, and
wherein the dispensing means is configured to dispense an individual aerosol-generating article.

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Chatelain Lucas

Classifications

• B65D85/1009

  provided with proffering means (B65D85/1054 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D85/10 Primary

  for cigarettes · CPC title

• B65D5/742

  Spouts formed by deforming or tearing the closure flaps or severed or incised parts of the closure flaps (B65D5/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D85/20

  for incompressible or rigid rod-shaped or tubular articles · CPC title

• B65D5/48024

  inserted · CPC title