초록 ▼

An assembled container for smoking articles includes an outer sleeve that includes a front wall, a rear wall, a right side wall, and a left side wall. Packets of cigarettes are positioned within the outer sleeve. For example, two packets, each containing ten cigarettes, are positioned within the out

An assembled container for smoking articles includes an outer sleeve that includes a front wall, a rear wall, a right side wall, and a left side wall. Packets of cigarettes are positioned within the outer sleeve. For example, two packets, each containing ten cigarettes, are positioned within the outer sleeve. The packets, and the outer sleeve, include mechanisms that interact during movement of the individual packets within the outer sleeve. As such, a portion of each packet is maintained within the outer sleeve during conditions of normal use.

대표청구항 ▼

We claim: 1. A container for smoking articles, the container comprising: a generally rectilinear outer sleeve member having front, left side, right side, and rear walls forming a cavity open at least at a first cavity end; at least two generally rectilinear packet members constructed of paperboard-

We claim: 1. A container for smoking articles, the container comprising: a generally rectilinear outer sleeve member having front, left side, right side, and rear walls forming a cavity open at least at a first cavity end; at least two generally rectilinear packet members constructed of paperboard-type material, each configured for substantially fully enclosing smoking articles, and slidably disposed and adjacent each other at least partially within the cavity; and a catch mechanism configured to prevent the at least two packets from being fully removed from the outer sleeve cavity wherein the catch mechanism comprises: a first retention flap that is continuous with a wall of the outer sleeve member, said first flap being biased at least slightly into the outer sleeve cavity; and a first tab that is continuous with and extending at least slightly outwardly from a surface of a first one of the at least two packet members; wherein the first tab is configured to engage the first retention flap when the first packet member is moved in a first direction relative to the outer sleeve, and wherein the engagement prevents movement in the first direction beyond a first pre-determined position. 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the first pre-determined position is set such that the first packet member extends out of the first cavity end of the outer sleeve by less than the full length of the first packet member. 3. The container of claim 1, the catch mechanism further comprising: a second retention flap that is continuous with a wall of the outer sleeve member, said second flap being biased at least slightly into the outer sleeve cavity; and a second tab that is continuous with and biased slightly outwardly from a surface of a first one of the at least two packet members; wherein the second tab is configured to engage the second retention flap when the first packet member is moved in a second direction relative to the outer sleeve, and wherein the engagement prevents movement in the second direction beyond a second pre-determined position. 4. The container of claim 3, wherein the second pre-determined position is set such that the first packet member extends out of a second end of the outer sleeve cavity by less than the full length of the first packet member. 5. The container of claim 1, wherein a first of the at least two packet members comprises a front wall, a bottom wall, left and right side walls, a rear wall, and an openable lid portion. 6. The container of claim 5, wherein the first tab is substantially co-planar with at least one of the front wall, bottom wall, left side wall, right side wall, or rear wall. 7. The container of claim 1, further comprising a wrapping material substantially covering a first of the at least two packets. 8. The container of claim 7, wherein the wrapping material comprises a generally transparent material. 9. The container of claim 7, wherein the catch mechanism further comprises: a first sleeve tab that is attached to and extending at least slightly outwardly from a surface of the wrapping material; wherein the first sleeve tab is configured to engage the first retention flap when the first packet member is moved in a first direction relative to the outer sleeve, and wherein the engagement prevents movement in the first direction beyond a first pre-determined position. 10. The container of claim 1, further comprising a wrapping material substantially enclosing the container. 11. The container of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cigarettes wherein a first of the at least two generally rectilinear packet members contains a first sub-plurality of the plurality of cigarettes that differ in at least one property from a second sub-plurality of the plurality of cigarettes contained in a second of the at least two generally rectilinear packet members. 12. A smoking article container system, the system comprising: a container comprising a generally rectilinear outer sleeve member having front, left side, right side, and rear walls forming a cavity open at least at a first cavity end; at least two generally rectilinear packet members constructed of paperboard-type material, said packet members slidably disposed and adjacent each other at least partially within the cavity; and a catch mechanism configured to prevent the at least two packet members from being fully removed from the outer sleeve cavity; a plurality of smoking articles substantially fully enclosed within each of the at least two generally rectilinear packet members; and a wrapping material substantially covering a first of the at least two packet members; wherein the catch mechanism comprises: a first sleeve tab that is attached to and extending at least slightly outwardly from a surface of the wrapping material; and a first retention flap that is continuous with a wall of the outer sleeve member, said first flap being biased at least slightly into the outer sleeve cavity wherein the first sleeve tab is configured to engage the first retention flap when the first packet member is moved in a first direction relative to the outer sleeve, and wherein the engagement prevents movement in the first direction beyond a first pre-determined position. 13. The smoking article container system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of smoking articles substantially fully enclosed within a first of the at least two generally rectilinear packet members differ in at least one property from the plurality of smoking articles contained within a second of the at least two generally rectilinear packet members. 14. The smoking article container system of claim 12, wherein the first pre-determined position is set such that the first packet member extends out of the first cavity end of the outer sleeve by less than the full length of the first packet member. 15. The smoking article container system of claim 14, wherein the catch mechanism further comprises: a second retention flap that is continuous with a wall of the outer sleeve member, said second flap being biased at least slightly into the outer sleeve cavity; and a second tab that is continuous with and biased slightly outwardly from a surface of a first one of the at least two packet members; wherein the second tab is configured to engage the second retention flap when the first packet member is moved in a second direction relative to the outer sleeve, and wherein the engagement prevents movement in the second direction beyond a second pre-determined position. 16. A container for smoking articles comprising: an outer sleeve defining an open cavity and having four side walls, with an abutment extending from at least one side wall into the open cavity; at least two packet members constructed of paperboard-type material and configured for containing smoking articles and slidably contained within the outer sleeve; the at least two packet members each comprising a tab that engages the abutment to stop a sliding movement of each packet member at a predetermined position when that packet member is slid toward a substantially open end of the outer sleeve; wherein for a first of the at least two packet members, the tab is disposed on a first side wall of the first packet member and is defined by a cut-out region of the first side wall around three sides of the tab. 17. The container of claim 16, wherein the tab extends at least slightly out of a plane defined by the first side wall of the first packet member. 18. The container of claim 16, wherein the tab is generally coplanar with a plane defined by the second side wall of the first packet member that is substantially perpendicular to the first side wall of the first packet member. 19. The container claim 16, further comprising a plurality of smoking articles contained in each of the at least two packet members, wherein the plurality of smoking articles contained within a first of the at least two packet members differ in at least one property from the plurality of smoking articles contained within a second of the at least two packet members. 20. The container of claim 19, further comprising a wrapping material substantially enclosing at least one of the at least two packet members. 21. The container of claim 16, further comprising a wrapping material substantially enclosing the container. 22. The container of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of smoking articles disposed within each of the at least two packet members. 23. The container of claim 1, wherein the first tab is defined on all but one side by an opening in said surface, the opening having a greater surface area than the first tab. 24. The container of claim 16, wherein the first tab is defined on all but one side by an opening in said surface, the opening having a greater surface area than the first tab.