Pack for smoking articles

Abstract

A pack for smoking articles having a cut-away section in the front which reveals a backing member. The backing member may be hingedly connected to the front panel of the pack by Z-folds to ensure identical color and location registration in the cut-away.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A pack for elongate smoking articles assembled from a flat blank comprising: 
 a lid, a body, and a hinge connection by which the lid is hingedly connected to the body;    front, rear and sides formed by both the lid and the body each having a respective front panel, rear panel, and a pair of side panels;    the lid further having a top panel remote from the body, and the body further having a base panel remote from the lid;    said hinge connection being defined by a fold between the rear lid panel and the rear body panel and being substantially parallel to top and bottom edges of the pack;    the front of the pack having a portion that is cut away to reveal a backing member disposed within the pack when the pack is closed and assembly is finished, wherein the portion is initially present in the blank as the blank has a front lower edge of the front panel of the lid disconnected from the front panel of the body;    the hinge connection also being substantially parallel to an imaginary straight line extending between lowermost points of side edges of the front panel of the lid; and    a lower edge of the front lid panel forms an upper extremity of the cut-away portion when the pack is closed and assembly is finished.    
     
     
         2 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cut-away portion is located in the body front panel or the lid front panel or in a combination of both.  
     
     
         3 . A pack as claimed in  claim 2  wherein there is the cut-away portion is located only in the front panel of the body.  
     
     
         4 . A pack as claimed in  claim 3  wherein said imaginary line coincides with a lowermost edge of the lid front panel.  
     
     
         5 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cut-away portion extends from one side panel to the other side panel. [but not shown in the original drawings] 
     
     
         6 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the lower edge of the front lid panel abuts an upper edge of the front body panel.  
     
     
         7 . A pack as claimed in  claim 6  wherein the backing member is formed integrally with and is hingedly connected with respect to the upper edge of the front body panel.  
     
     
         8 . A pack as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the backing member is connected to the upper edge of the front body panel by two spaced tabs which form Z-folds.  
     
     
         9 . A pack as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the cut-away portion borders on the upper edge of the front body panel so that the cut-away portion is open at the upper extremity thereof when the pack is subsequently opened.  
     
     
         10 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the backing member is hingedly connected to side members which lie inwardly of the respective body side panels and project upwardly therefrom.  
     
     
         11 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein a part of the backing member which lies behind the cut-away portion of the front body panel has printed matter thereon.  
     
     
         12 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cut-away portion has edges, with at least some of the edges defining the cut-away portion having sections folded inwardly of the pack so that the backing member is more inwardly recessed behind the front of the pack.  
     
     
         13 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cut-away portion borders on the upper edge of the front body panel so that the cut-away portion is open at the upper extremity thereof when the pack is subsequently opened.  
     
     
         14 . A pack as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the cut-away portion extends completely between said body side panels.  
     
     
         15 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cut-away portion is defined by cut edges.  
     
     
         16 . A pack as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the backing member is an insert separate from the blank from which the pack is constructed.