Philip Morris Inc.

James A DeBlasio

Donald H Evers

Robert E Talley

Reginald W Newsome

Christopher N Chance

Michael A Kirby, Sr

John Mathew Adams

William C Harris, Jr

Xuan M Pham

Susan J Douglas

Donald L Brookman

George Robert Scott

Edwin L Cutright

Alfred L Collins

Renzer R Ritt, Sr

Charles D Hansen

James B Draucker

Johnny L Miller

Pamela D Moore

William P Taylor

Edward J Woolridge

William J Rech

Billy J Kean, Jr

Richard H Dickerson

A cigarette package comprises a plurality of packs, and a binder member bonded to adjoining edge faces of the packs. A releasable retainer normally holds the packs together. Upon release of the retainer, the packs can be fanned-out about axes coinciding with adjoining corners of the packs. Any number of the packs can be detached by the user for individual use.

Packaging for articles such as cigarettes

Methods and apparatus are provided for transferring a metered charge of granular material from a bulk source to an individual receptacle at high speed. The apparatus comprises a nozzle having suction and positive ports, a screen disposed within the nozzle, and suction and positive pressure sources that selectively communicate with the suction and pressure ports to sequentially engage a charge of granular material from a bulk source and then expel the charge of granular material into a receptacle. The apparatus includes a controller for selectively actuating valves connecting the suction and positive pressure ports to the suction and positive pressure sources. Methods of transferring a discrete charge of the granular material from a bulk reservoir to an individual receptacle are also provided.

Apparatus and methods for transferring and metering granular material

A half-carton container for cigarette packs, formed from a unitary blank, having windows formed in a first wall to display and facilitate the removal of the contained goods and having partitions hingedly attached to the first wall and secured to a second wall to support the half-carton structure and to partition and hold in place the contained goods. The half-carton container can be paired with another half-carton by attachment or by placing in a full-carton container such that they can be tax-stamped as a pair and later easily separated for sale as independent units.

Half-carton structure and method of forming same

A cigarette carton comprising two half-carton sections, each containing five cigarette packs, which may be sold as one standard ten-pack cigarette carton or may be separated and sold as individual half-cartons. The dual half-carton configuration permits the use of existing tax-stamping machines without any modifications. The dual half-carton unit is formed from a single blank and is detachably connected along a perforated line running along the top of the interior walls of each half-carton section, extending from one side wall to the other. Each half-carton section contains a top closure attached to the external hull that may be closed to encase the five cigarette packs in that half-carton section by tucking a tuck portion into the interior of the box along the inside of that half-carton section's interior wall. The top portion of the interior walls may be folded away from each half-carton section to which they are attached to create a space in which each tuck portion may be inserted.

Tax-stampable half-carton

A method of attaching two containers wherein two containers faced toward each other are secured by cooperation of at least one tab on the front wall of one container and at least one slot on the front wall of the other container, and the dual container structure formed thereby. The slot and tab act to securely attach the two containers such that the containers may easily be separated for later sale as independent units.

Dual half-carton structure and method of forming same

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.

Multiple unit carton

A dual cigarette carton formed from two substantially identical single cigarette cartons. A label bearing indicia encoded for the automatic pricing of the dual carton is placed across adjacent coplanar walls of the two single cartons. The indicia are positioned such that they are rendered unreadable by automatic equipment when the two single cartons are separated for individual sale. Each single carton further includes indicia encoded for the automatic pricing of a single carton, the indicia being positioned such that they are not readily visible when the single cartons are connected to form a dual carton.

Dual cigarette carton with separable or divisible label containing

A dual carton formed from two cartons each having at least one pair of opposed top flaps. One carton has an extended top flap which extends over the other carton when the cartons are positioned adjacent one another such that the extended top flap may be secured to the top flaps of the other carton to thereby join the two cartons to form a dual carton. The extended portion of the extended top flap is joined to the remainder of the extended top flap along a weakened line to facilitate later separation of the two joined cartons. The dual carton may be a cigarette carton of dimensions compatible with tax-stamping machinery and temporarily sealed in such a manner as to facilitate the opening and later resealing of the carton for tax-stamping purposes.

Dual carton

A method of attaching two containers wherein a releasable attachment insert is placed during assembly between the side walls and side flaps at each end of two containers faced toward each other, and the dual container structure formed thereby. The insert acts to securely attach the two containers such that they may easily be separated for later sale as independent units.

Method of attaching two half-cartons and the product

A cigarette carton formed from a blank in which the front and rear long walls of the carton are joined along a side wall instead of along a top or bottom wall. The carton thus has two sets of closure flaps, one set along the top end and another set along the bottom end. At least one set of closure flaps is a set of lap flaps, which are easily opened by a tax-stamping machine and easily closed by a machine. Preferably the other set of closure flaps is a tuck-in flap which is easily openable and reclosable by a consumer. Also disclosed is a multiple unit carton formed by applying adhesive bearing carrier means across top and bottom walls of the adjoining cartons. The multiple unit carton may be separated by a retailer or consumer for purchase of the individual component cartons.

Easily sealable, openable, and reclosable carton

A carton having a tuck-in flap extending from each wall which travels substantially parallel to the path of travel through a tax-stamping machine. At least one tuck-in flap is provided with a tapered tuck-in portion which is positioned and dimensioned so that the hold-down guide positioned to hold down the shorter of a pair of lap flaps of a conventional cigarette carton will hold down the tuck-in flap having the taper as if it were a short lap flap. Moreover, the longer portion of the tapered tuck-in flap is properly held down as well, without being snagged by the hold-down guide. An additional extension panel may be provided along the free edge of the tuck-in portion of either or both tuck-in flaps. The tuck-in portion may be folded under the top closure portion of the tuck-in flap, and the additional extension panel tucked between the cigarette packs in the carton and the wall from which the folded tuck-in flap extends. The folded tuck-in flap thus resembles a short lap flap which may be sufficiently held down by the hold-down guide for a short lap flap.

Cigarette carton with modified tuck-in flap

A dual carton formed from two substantially identical individual cartons secured together along their top flaps such that the means for securing the cartons is not readily apparent to a consumer. An additional means for securing the individual cartons together is provided across the bottom walls of the individual cartons. A dual cigarette carton of dimensions compatible with tax-stamping machinery is also shown.

Two cartons joined as a dual carton separable into two individual cartons

A cigarette carton adapted to contain two rows of five cigarette packs per row. The carton is formed from two substantially identical cartons which are each adapted to contain one row of five cigarette packs. The two cartons are connected along their front walls, which face one another, with a joining strip which is placed over or between the tops of the front walls. The cartons are also connected along their bottom walls with a label. These connections keep the two cartons securely connected when in the ten-pack configuration so that they can be processed through standard machinery for processing ten-pack cartons, such as tax-stamping machinery. The cartons can readily be separated by a consumer for the sale of an individual five-pack carton.

Two cartons joined as a single unit separable into two single cartons

A dual cigarette carton is formed from two identical single cartons. The two cartons are connected together with adhesive bearing carrier means such that the two cartons remain securely connected when in the dual configuration and can hence be processed for tax-stamping through standard machinery and distributed to the consumer as a dual unit. The use of adhesive bearing carrier means such as stickers allows for convenient and acceptable methods of separation of the dual carton for individual purchase of the single cartons.

Growing community of inventors

Midlothian, VA, United States of America

James A DeBlasio