Container For Consumer Goods With Reclosable Flap And Method

Abstract

A container for consumer goods, such as smoking articles, has an outer housing with a hinged lid that houses an inner package of consumer goods. The inner package has an access opening through which consumer goods can be removed and that is covered by a reclosable flap, which is attached to a first lid panel that is relatively movable to a second lid panel throughout rotation of the lid between lid open and closed positions. The reclosable flap moves relative to the inner package about a hinge line. The first lid panel is substantially perpendicular to a lid front wall when the hinged lid is in a first open position in which a lid top wall is arranged substantially perpendicular to a box back wall.

1 . A container for consumer goods, comprising:
 an outer housing comprising a box and a hinged lid rotatable between open and closed positions, wherein the hinged lid comprises a first lid panel and a second lid panel, wherein the first lid panel is movable relative to the second lid panel during movement of the lid between the open and closed positions;   an inner package of consumer goods within the box comprising an access opening through which consumer goods can be removed; and   a reclosable flap movable relative to the inner package about a hinge line and arranged to cover the access opening, a portion of the reclosable flap being attached to the first lid panel;   wherein the first lid panel is substantially perpendicular to a lid front wall when the hinged lid is in a first open position in which a lid top wall is arranged substantially perpendicular to a box back wall.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the hinge line is positioned at a top wall of the inner package at a distance from a top, back edge of the inner package that is at least 20% of a distance from the top, back edge of the inner package to a top, front edge of the inner package. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the hinge line is positioned at a top wall of the inner package at a distance from a top, back edge of the inner package that is no more than 40% of a distance from the top, back edge of the inner package to a top, front edge of the inner package. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the reclosable flap is attached to the inner package so that a portion of the reclosable flap is movable relative to the inner package during lid movement, while another portion of the reclosable flap is not movable relative to the inner package during lid movement, wherein the hinge line delimits the movable and non-movable portions of the reclosable flap. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the access opening is provided by a cut line or a line of weakness that defines a flap in an outer surface of the inner package, wherein the hinge line of the reclosable flap substantially coincides with a hinge line of the flap in the outer surface of the inner package. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein an angle between the first lid panel and the lid front wall decreases when the hinged lid is rotated from the first open position to a second open position, wherein the first open position is provided between the closed position and the second open position. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the hinge line is positioned at a top wall of the inner package at a distance from a top, back edge of the inner package that is substantially the same or shorter than a length of the first lid panel. 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the hinge line is positioned at a top wall of the inner package at a distance from a top, back edge of the inner package that is substantially the same or shorter than a length of the portion of the reclosable flap attached to the first lid panel. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 8 , wherein a ratio between the length of the portion of the reclosable flap attached to the first lid panel and the distance from the hinge line to the top, back edge of the inner package is between 1 and 3. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 9 , wherein the ratio between the length of the portion of the reclosable flap attached to the first lid panel and the distance from the hinge line to the top, back edge of the inner package is at least 1.1. 
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 9 , wherein the ratio between the length of portion of the reclosable flap attached to the first lid panel and the distance from the hinge line to the top, back edge of the inner package is no more than 2.5. 
     
     
         12 . A method of forming a container for consumer goods, comprising the steps of:
 providing an inner package of consumer goods comprising an access opening through which consumer goods can be removed, the access opening being covered by a reclosable flap that is movable relative to the inner package about a hinge line;   folding a blank about the inner package to form an outer housing with a hinged lid in a way such that a first lid panel can move relative to a second lid panel when the container is in use;   attaching a free end of the reclosable flap to the first lid panel so that the first lid panel is substantially perpendicular to a lid front wall when the hinged lid is in a first open position in which a lid top wall is arranged substantially perpendicular to a box back wall.