Container For Consumer Goods With Reclosable Flap

Abstract

A container for consumer goods, such as smoking articles, includes 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 dosed positions. Blanks for forming the outer housing and a method of forming the container are also provided.

1 . A container for consumer goods, comprising:
 an outer housing comprising a hinged lid rotatable between an open position and a closed position, the hinged lid comprising an outer front panel, a first inner lid panel, and a second inner lid panel; and   an inner package of consumer goods within the outer housing defining an access opening through which consumer goods can be removed, the access opening being covered by a reclosable flap,   wherein the first inner lid panel is connected to the outer front panel and the second inner lid panel, and   wherein the reclosable flap is attached to the first inner lid panel such that the first inner lid panel moves relative to the outer front panel and the second inner lid panel when the hinged lid is moved between the open and closed positions.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the first inner lid panel is hingedly connected to the second inner lid panel. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the first inner lid panel is completed surrounded by the outer front panel and the second inner lid panel. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the first inner lid panel is connected to the outer front panel by one or more breakable connections. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the reclosable flap and the first inner lid panel cooperate to generate a biasing force on the hinged lid. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the first inner lid panel rotates about a rotation axis and relative to the second inner lid panel throughout movement of the lid between the open and closed positions. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising an inner frame positioned inside the inner package. 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 7 , wherein the first inner lid panel comprises an edge that is configured to pivotally contact the inner package or the inner frame during movement of the lid between the open and closed positions. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein, in the closed position, the reclosable flap and the inner package are arranged to engage one another around a periphery of the access opening at a coupling region, the coupling region having a resealable adhesive to releasably affix the reclosable flap to the inner package. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the reclosable flap is attached to the inner package and is movable relative to the inner package about a hinge line. 
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the reclosable flap extends beyond a periphery of the access opening when the hinged lid is in the closed position. 
     
     
         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 coverable by a reclosable flap;   folding a blank about the inner package to form an outer housing with a hinged lid, the hinged lid including a first inner lid panel connected to both an outer front panel and a second inner lid panel;   attaching the reclosable flap to the first inner lid panel of the hinged lid,   wherein the step of folding the blank comprises a step of forming the hinged lid to be rotatable between open and closed positions which in turn causes the first inner lid panel to move relative to the outer front panel and the second inner lid panel.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the step of forming the hinged lid comprises forming the first inner lid panel to be rotatable about an axis formed at a junction between the first inner lid panel and the second inner lid panel. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the step of forming the hinged lid comprises completely surrounding the first inner lid panel by the outer front panel and the second inner lid panel. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the step of forming the hinged lid comprises initially coupling the first inner lid panel to the outer front panel by one or more breakable connections designed to break during movement of the first inner lid panel relative to the outer front panel. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the step of forming the hinged lid comprises forming the one or more breakable connections along edges of the first inner lid panel that are inclined with respect to the axis. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of forming the hinged lid comprises forming the one or more breakable connections at a distance of at least 0.3 mm from the axis. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more breakable connections are provided substantially symmetrically with respect to the first inner lid panel. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more breakable connections are each formed to have a width that is between about 0.2 mm and about 0.5 mm. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the step of forming the hinged lid does not comprises applying permanent adhesive to fix the first inner lid panel to any other lid panel.