Container with removable cleaning tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11291245-B2
Application number	US-201816771476-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2018
Priority date	Dec 13, 2017
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A container for aerosol-generating articles is provided, including: a box portion formed from a single laminar blank; a lid portion formed from a same single laminar blank as the box portion; a plurality of aerosol-generating articles disposed within the box portion; and a removable laminar blank made from a same material as the single laminar blank, the removable laminar blank being disposed within and attached to the lid portion, the removable laminar blank including at least one longitudinal line of weakness, and the removable laminar blank being foldable along the at least one longitudinal line of weakness to form an elongate cleaning tool having a scraping surface at a distal end thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A container for aerosol-generating articles, the container comprising:
a box portion formed from a single laminar blank;
a lid portion formed from a same single laminar blank as the box portion;
a plurality of aerosol-generating articles disposed within the box portion; and
a removable laminar blank made from a same material as the single laminar blank, the removable laminar blank being disposed within and attached to the lid portion,
wherein the removable laminar blank comprises at least one longitudinal line of weakness, the removable laminar blank being foldable along the at least one longitudinal line of weakness to form an elongate cleaning tool having a scraping surface at a distal end thereof,
wherein the at least one longitudinal line of weakness comprises a plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness each extending along substantially an entire length of the removable laminar blank and disposed such that, when the removable laminar blank is folded along the plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness to form the elongate cleaning tool, the elongate cleaning tool has a closed cross-sectional shape, and
wherein the plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness are disposed such that longitudinal side edges of the removable laminar blank overlap with each other when the removable laminar blank is folded along the plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness to form the elongate cleaning tool.

2. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the distal end has a diameter of less than or equal to a diameter of at least one of the aerosol-generating articles.

3. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the removable laminar blank is integral with the single laminar blank and is attached to the single laminar blank by a line of weakness.

4. The container according to claim 3 , wherein the lid portion comprises:
a lid portion back wall depending from a box portion back wall;
a lid portion top wall depending from the lid portion back wall; and
a lid portion front wall depending from the lid portion top wall,
wherein the lid portion front wall comprises a lid portion front panel depending from the lid portion top wall, and a lid portion front wall under panel depending from the lid portion front panel, wherein the lid portion front wall under panel underlies the lid portion front panel, and
wherein the removable laminar blank is at least partially defined by the lid portion front wall under panel.

5. The container according to claim 4 ,
wherein the lid portion further comprises an additional lid portion under panel depending from the lid portion front wall under panel, and
wherein the removable laminar blank is at least partially defined by the lid portion under panel.

6. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one longitudinal line of weakness or longitudinal side edges of the removable laminar blank, or both the at least one longitudinal line of weakness and the longitudinal side edges of the removable laminar blank, are non-parallel to a longitudinal axis of the removable laminar blank such that, when the removable laminar blank is folded along the at least one longitudinal line of weakness to form the elongate cleaning tool, the elongate cleaning tool tapers towards the scraping surface.

7. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness are disposed such that, when the removable laminar blank is folded along the plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness to form the elongate cleaning tool, the elongate cleaning tool has a triangular cross-sectional shape.

8. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the removable laminar blank further comprises at least one proximal line of weakness at or adjacent to a proximal end of the removable laminar blank and extending along only part of a length of the removable laminar blank, the removable laminar blank being foldable along the at least one proximal line of weakness to form a handle portion extending outwardly from the elongate cleaning tool at or adjacent to the proximal end of the elongate cleaning tool.

9. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one longitudinal line of weakness is formed by creasing, scoring, ablation, or any combination thereof.

10. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the removable laminar blank comprises a plurality of discrete fingers at a distal end thereof, each discrete finger of the plurality of discrete fingers being foldable along a transverse fold line to form inwardly extending bristles defining the scraping surface at the distal end of the elongate cleaning tool.

11. A container for aerosol-generating articles, the container comprising:
a box portion formed from a single laminar blank;
a lid portion formed from a same single laminar blank as the box portion;
a plurality of aerosol-generating articles disposed within the box portion; and
a removable laminar blank made from a same material as the single laminar blank, the removable laminar blank being disposed within and attached to the lid portion,
wherein the removable laminar blank comprises at least one longitudinal line of weakness, the removable laminar blank being foldable along the at least one longitudinal line of weakness to form an elongate cleaning tool having a scraping surface at a distal end thereof,
wherein the at least one longitudinal line of weakness comprises a plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness each extending along substantially an entire length of the removable laminar blank and disposed such that, when the removable laminar blank is folded along the plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness to form the elongate cleaning tool, the elongate cleaning tool has a closed cross-sectional shape, and
wherein the removable laminar blank further comprises at least one additional longitudinal line of weakness disposed such that, when the removable laminar blank is folded along the plurality of longitudinal lines of weakness in a first direction and is folded along the at least one additional longitudinal line of weakness in a second, opposite, direction to form the cleaning tool, the elongate cleaning tool comprises an internal projection extending into a central lumen of the elongate cleaning tool, the at least one additional longitudinal line of weakness forming a vertex of the internal projection.

12. A container for aerosol-generating articles, the container comprising:
a box portion;
a lid portion;
a plurality of aerosol-generating articles disposed within the box portion; and
a removable laminar blank initially disposed in the box portion, or the lid portion, or both,
wherein the removable laminar blank is foldable about longitudinal lines of weakness each extending along a longitudinal axis of the removable laminar blank, from a first position when disposed in the box portion to a second position when disposed outside of the box portion, to form a tubular elongate cleaning tool, and
wherein the longitudinal lines of weakness are disposed such that, when the removable laminar blank is folded along the longitudinal lines of weakness into the second position, the elongate cleaning tool has a triangular cross-sectional shape and a maximum dimension in a transverse direction to the longitudinal axis of less than a diameter of at least one of the aerosol-generating articles disposed within the box portion.

13. The container according to claim 12 , wherein the removable laminar blank comprises a plurality of discrete fingers at a distal end thereof, each discrete finger of the plurality of discrete fingers being foldable along a transverse fold line to form inwar

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Bernhard Philipp
• Dayioglu Onur
• Iannucci Kilian Augusto
• Leu-Buerki Katja Sylvia
• Malzach Samuel
• Niederhauser Aymeric David
• Sigrist Martin
• Tronza Mario

Classifications

• B08B1/165

  Scrapers · CPC title

• B65D85/1056

  characterized by the lid · CPC title

• A24F15/18 Primary

  combined with other objects · CPC title

• B65D85/1045

  having a cap-like lid hinged to an edge · CPC title

• A24F40/85

  Maintenance, e.g. cleaning · CPC title