Box-in-box package

Abstract

A box-in-box package includes a rigid outer box made of a foil lined paperboard having a hinged lid configured to provide access to an inner volume of the outer box, a rigid inner box made of a foil lined paperboard having a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall and side walls, and a single opening extending across the top wall and part way down the front wall, the opening configured to provide access to consumer goods in an inner volume of the inner box. The opening in the inner box is a cut-out in the foil lined paperboard. The package can provide an improved barrier to loss of flavor characteristics, a simplified opening arrangement which eliminates a re-sealable pull tab over the opening, better physical protection of product contained in the package, a unique method of opening and closing the package, and a less expensive manufacturing process by eliminating package materials and processing steps to assemble the package with tobacco products such as cigarettes therein.

1 . A box-in-box package comprising:
 a rigid outer box made of a foil lined paperboard, the rigid outer box having a hinged lid configured to provide access to an inner volume of the outer box; and   a rigid inner box made of a foil lined paperboard, the rigid inner box including,
 a front wall, 
 a back wall, 
 a top wall, 
 a bottom wall, 
 side walls, and 
 a single uncovered opening extending across the top wall and part way down the front wall, the single uncovered opening configured to provide access to consumer goods in an inner volume of the inner box, the single uncovered opening in the inner box including,
 a cut-out in the foil lined paperboard, the single uncovered opening excluding a re-sealable label. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The box-in-box package of  claim 1 , wherein the foil lined paperboard of the outer box includes a foil layer adhered to a paper layer and a paperboard layer, an outer surface of the paper layer adhered to an inner surface of the foil layer by a first adhesive layer and an inner surface of the paperboard layer adhered to an outer surface of the foil layer a second adhesive layer. 
     
     
         3 . The box-in-box package of  claim 2 , further comprising;
 a polypropylene layer on an outer surface the paperboard layer of the outer box.   
     
     
         4 . The box-in-box package of  claim 3 , wherein the polypropylene layer comprises a polypropylene film. 
     
     
         5 . The box-in-box package of  claim 2 , further comprising; a polyester layer on an outer surface of the paperboard layer of the outer box. 
     
     
         6 . The box-in-box package of  claim 5 , wherein the polyester layer comprises a metallized polyester material. 
     
     
         7 . The box-in-box package of  claim 2 , wherein the paperboard layer of the outer box comprises solid bleached sulfate (SBS) board stock. 
     
     
         8 . The box-in-box package of  claim 2 , wherein the first adhesive layer comprises sodium silicate. 
     
     
         9 . The box-in-box package of  claim 2 , wherein consumer goods are contained in the inner box and the paper layer of the inner box is in direct contact with consumer goods within the inner box. 
     
     
         10 . The box-in-box package of  claim 2 , wherein the inner box is formed from an inner box blank which comprises a front panel corresponding to the front wall, a top panel corresponding to the top wall, a back panel corresponding to the back wall, and a bottom panel corresponding to the bottom wall. 
     
     
         11 . The box-in-box package of  claim 10 , wherein the inner box blank further comprises side panels corresponding to the side walls. 
     
     
         12 . The box-in-box package of  claim 10 , wherein the front panel includes a top front panel and a bottom front panel. 
     
     
         13 . The box-in-box package of  claim 2 , wherein the inner box contains cigarettes in direct contact with the paper layer of the inner box and a portion of the paper layer of the outer box in direct contact with ends of cigarettes located in the single uncovered opening in the inner box. 
     
     
         14 . The box-in-box package of  claim 1 , wherein the inner box is formed from an inner box blank which includes a top front panel corresponding to an upper portion of the front wall separated from a top panel corresponding to the top wall by a first transverse fold line, a back panel corresponding to the back wall separated from the top panel by a second transverse fold line, a bottom panel corresponding to the bottom wall separated from the back panel by a third transverse fold line, and a bottom front panel corresponding to a lower portion of the front wall separated from the bottom panel by a fourth transverse fold line. 
     
     
         15 . The box-in-box package of  claim 14 , wherein the inner box blank includes a first side panel and a second side panel corresponding to the side walls, and wherein the first side panel is separated from the back panel by a first longitudinal fold line, and the second side panel is separated from the back panel by a second longitudinal fold line. 
     
     
         16 . A box blank configured to form a box having a hinged lid, the box blank formed of a foil lined paperboard, the foil lined paperboard including,
 a paper layer,   a foil layer, and   a paperboard layer, an outer surface of the paper layer adhered to an inner surface of the foil layer and an inner surface of the paperboard layer adhered to an outer surface of the foil layer, the inner surface of the foil layer adhered to the outer surface of the paper layer by a first adhesive layer and the inner surface of the paperboard layer adhered to the outer surface of the foil layer by a second adhesive layer, the paper layer forming an exposed inner surface of the box when the box blank is formed into the box.   
     
     
         17 . The box blank of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a polypropylene layer on an outer surface of the paperboard layer.   
     
     
         18 . The box blank of  claim 17 , wherein the polypropylene layer comprises a polypropylene film. 
     
     
         19 . The box blank of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a polyester layer on an outer surface of the paperboard layer.   
     
     
         20 . The box blank of  claim 16 , wherein the paperboard layer comprises solid bleached sulfate (SBS) board stock. 
     
     
         21 . The box blank of  claim 16 , wherein the second adhesive layer further comprises sodium silicate between the foil layer and the paper layer. 
     
     
         22 . The box blank of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 fold lines configured to form panels of a body portion and a lid portion, the body portion including a front panel, a bottom panel, a back panel, side panels, and dust flaps, and the lid portion including a front panel, top panel, back panel, side panels, and dust flaps.