Container with a lifting element

Abstract

A container including smoking articles also includes a cup shaped box for the smoking articles. The cup shaped box includes a bottom wall, side walls and an opening. The container further includes a lifting element correlated to at least one smoking article for lifting the smoking article of the bottom wall of the container. The lifting element has an engaging portion, engageable with the outside upper end portion of the smoking article.

1 . A container for smoking articles, said container comprising:
 a cup shaped box including a bottom wall, side walls and an opening, the box being sized to receive a plurality of smoking articles; and
 a lifting element correlated to at least one smoking article and operable to lift at least one smoking article off the bottom wall of the container, 
 wherein the lifting element includes an engaging portion engageable with an outside upper end portion of at least one smoking article. 
   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , including at least one smoking article having a circumferential outer side with ring like shoulder that is adapted to be engaged by the lifting element. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein the shoulder of the at least one smoking article is formed by an edge of a circumferentially wrapped tipping paper of the at least one smoking article and wherein the at least one smoking article is a filter cigarette. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the lifting element extends from the opening of the cup shaped box to below the edge of the tipping paper. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the lifting element is operable to frictionally engage at least one smoking article. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the engaging portion includes a protrusion. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 6 , wherein the protrusion is formed by a flap of the lifting element that is folded along a fold in the lifting element. 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 7 , wherein the flap extends in a direction towards at least one smoking article, in particular in an upward direction towards at least one smoking article. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 1 , further including an inner liner operable to surround one or more smoking articles, wherein the inner liner includes a pull foil adapted to be removed, and wherein the lifting element is attached to the inner side of the pull foil, such that the lifting element is operable to contact at least one smoking article. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 1 , further including an inner liner operable to surround one or more smoking articles, wherein the inner liner includes a pull foil adapted to be removed, such that at least one smoking article can be accessed and the lifting element is operable to contact smoking articles. 
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the lifting element is attached to an outer side of the pull foil. 
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the pull foil is detached from the lifting element when a predefined pulling force on the pull foil is exceeded. 
     
     
         13 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the lifting element includes a second flap adapted to engage the cup shaped box when the lifting element moves to a predefined lifting height, so as to provide a stop for the lifting element. 
     
     
         14 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the lifting element includes several flaps which are provided at different heights of the lifting element. 
     
     
         15 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the lifting element extends at least partially parallel to one box wall of the cup shaped box, the lifting element is guided by at least one neighboring box wall of the one box wall, and the lifting element has substantially the same width as the interior of the cup shaped box. 
     
     
         16 . A method of removing a smoking article from a container, said method comprising:
 establishing a lifting element in a container of smoking articles having tipping paper; and   extracting a smoking article by engaging an edge of the tipping paper with an edge portion of the lifting element while raising said lifting element relative to said container.