Multiple unit carton
AssigneePhilip Morris Incorporated
InventorJames A. DeBlasio
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multiple unit carton composed of a plurality of individual cartons joined by carrier means. Each carton holds at least one pair of cigarette packs aligned with their long walls abutting, and their short walls coplanar. The multiple unit carton is preferably dimensioned to resemble a ten-pack cigarette carton so that the multiple unit carton may be passed through commercially available tax-stamping machinery, which is commonly designed to process ten-pack cigarette cartons. The individual cartons are joined with adhesive bearing carrier means such that the cartons remain securely connected when being passed through tax-stamping machinery.
Claims42
A multiple unit cigarette carton for packaging cigarette packs and of dimensions compatible with commercially available tax-stamping machinery used in the automated processing of cigarette cartons, each said cigarette pack having a pair of opposed long walls and a pair of opposed short walls, said multiple-unit cigarette carton comprising:
- a first carton having a first pair of first and second opposed walls, each wall at least as wide as a first number of times the width of the long wall of a cigarette pack;
- and a second pair of third and fourth opposed walls, each wall at least as wide as a second number of times the width of the short wall of a cigarette pack;
- a second carton having a third pair of fifth and sixth opposed walls, each wall at least as wide as a third number of times the width of the long wall of a cigarette pack;
- and a fourth pair of seventh and eighth opposed walls, each wall being substantially the same width as said third and fourth walls of said first carton;
- wherein:
- said first and second cartons are positioned with one of said third and fourth walls of said first carton adjacent and coextensive with one of said seventh and eighth walls of said second carton to form said multiple unit carton composed of at least said first and second carton joined along adjacent coextensive walls;
- said multiple unit carton further comprising:
- at least one substantially flat carrier means having a first side and a second side, and an adhesive borne on at least part of at least one side of said carrier means, said carrier means bearing said adhesive being positioned across at least two adjacent walls of said first and second cartons with said adhesive in operative contact with said at least two adjacent walls to securely yet releasably connect said cartons in position adjacent one another.
A method for packaging cigarette packs which are to be passed through tax-stamping machinery used in the automated processing of cigarette cartons and later may be separated into groups of cigarette packs, each said cigarette pack having a pair of opposed long walls and a pair of opposed short walls, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a first carton having a first pair of first and second opposed walls each wall at least as wide as a first number of times the width of the long wall of a cigarette pack;
- and a second pair of third and fourth opposed walls, each wall at least as wide as a second number of times the width of the short wall of a cigarette pack;
- providing a second carton having a third pair of fifth and sixth opposed walls, each wall at least as wide as a third number of times the width of the long wall of a cigarette pack;
- and a fourth pair of seventh and eighth opposed walls, each wall being substantially the same width as said third and fourth walls of said first carton;
- positioning said first and second cartons adjacent one another with one of said third and fourth walls of said first carton adjacent and coextensive with one of said seventh and eighth walls of said second carton;
- and
- releasably attaching said first and second cartons together, including the step of positioning at least one substantially flat carrier means having a first side and a second side and an adhesive borne on at least part of at least one side of said carrier means across at least two adjacent walls of said first and second cartons with said adhesive in operative contact with said adjacent walls to securely yet releasably connect said cartons in position adjacent one another in a multiple unit configuration so that said cartons will maintain their relative positions in a subsequent passage through a tax-stamping machine.
A method for packaging cigarette packs which are to be passed through tax-stamping machinery used in the automated processing of cigarete cartons and later may be separated into groups of cigarette packs, each said cigarette pack having a pair of opposed long walls and a pair of opposed short walls, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of cigarette cartons each having a first pair of substantially vertical opposed walls and a second pair of substantially vertical opposed walls, wherein each said carton is dimensioned to contain a predetermined number of cigarette packs arranged with the short walls of said packs parallel to said second pair of walls;
- and
- joining said plurality of cigarette cartons with a carrier means bearing adhesive such that the respective second pairs of walls of each said carton are in parallel spaced apart planes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.