Pack for smoking articles

Abstract

A pack for smoking articles such as cigarettes comprises a plurality of planar panels, and a blank for producing such a pack. At least one of the panels includes a plurality of formations extending out of the plane of a surface of the or each panel. The formations may be formed by an embossing method. The formations may provide protection for the contents of the pack from subsequent processes performed thereon.

1 . A pack for smoking articles comprising major front and rear planar panels and minor side planar panels configured to form a pack, wherein at least one of the major panels includes a plurality of discrete protrusions spaced from each other and projecting outwardly from an outer surface of at least one major panel. 
     
     
         2 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein both the front and rear panels include said protrusions. 
     
     
         3 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the side panels include said protrusions. 
     
     
         4 . The pack according to  claim 1 , further comprising top and bottom panels, wherein the top panel includes said protrusions. 
     
     
         5 . The pack according to  claim 1 , further comprising top and bottom panels, and wherein the bottom panel includes said protrusions. 
     
     
         6 . The pack according to  claim 1 , further comprising a top panel which comprises a lid. 
     
     
         7 . The pack according to  claim 6 , wherein the lid comprises a flip top. 
     
     
         8 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are embossed. 
     
     
         9 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the pack is fabricated from sheet material, and wherein the protrusions are formed in the thickness of the sheet material. 
     
     
         10 . The pack according to  claim 9 , wherein the sheet material comprises cardboard. 
     
     
         11 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are formed on substantially the entire surface area of at least one of the panels. 
     
     
         12 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are formed on only a portion of the surface area of at least one of the panels. 
     
     
         13 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein protrusions project from one or more of the outer surfaces and one or more of the inner surfaces of at least one of the panels. 
     
     
         14 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one panel includes between 5 and 2000 protrusions. 
     
     
         15 . The pack according to  claim 14 , wherein at least one panel includes between 10 and 1000 protrusions. 
     
     
         16 . The pack according to  claim 15 , wherein at least one panel includes between 50 and 750 protrusions. 
     
     
         17 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein all of the protrusions project from a respective panel surface by the same distance. 
     
     
         18 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are generally circular and convex in shape. 
     
     
         19 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are formed in regular rows and columns on at least one panel surface. 
     
     
         20 . The pack according to  claim 1 , further comprising an outer wrapper spaced from the surface of at least one panel of the pack by said protrusions. 
     
     
         21 . The pack according to  claim 1 , further comprising an inner frame within the pack. 
     
     
         22 . The pack according to  claim 21 , wherein the pack comprises a front panel which includes a cut-out portion which exposes a portion of the inner frame. 
     
     
         23 . The pack according to  claim 22 , wherein the exposed portion of the inner frame is printed with at least one of indicia and graphics. 
     
     
         24 . The pack according to  claim 1 , wherein corner edges of the pack are one of bevelled, curved, and rectangular. 
     
     
         25 . The pack according to  claim 1 , containing smoking articles. 
     
     
         26 . The pack according to  claim 25 , wherein the smoking articles comprise cigarettes. 
     
     
         27 . A blank for fabricating a pack for smoking articles, comprising major front and rear planar panel portions and minor side planar panel portions, wherein at least one of the major panel portions includes a plurality of discrete protrusions spaced from each other and projecting outwardly from an outer surface of at least one major panel portion. 
     
     
         28 . A method of fabricating a pack for smoking articles from a blank comprising major front and rear planar panel portions and minor side panel portions, the method comprising forming in at least one of the major panel portions a plurality of discrete protrusions spaced from each other and projecting outwardly from an outer surface of at least one major panel portion. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 28 , further comprising embossing the blank to form the protrusions. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 29 , further comprising feeding successive blanks from a magazine thereof to an embossing station to form said protrusions, and feeding the embossed blanks to a cigarette packaging machine to be formed into packs filled with cigarettes. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 30 , further comprising wrapping the pack in an outer wrapping subsequent to the packs being filled with cigarettes, sealing the wrapping onto the pack using heat from a heater element and forming an air gap between the wrapping and the surface of the pack by the plurality of protuberances spacing the wrapping from the pack surface.