A conventional package for cigarettes comprises a body extending in a longitudinal direction and a lid attached to one end of the body for movement between open and closed positions. Typical packages receive for example 20 cigarettes in three rows, longitudinally within the package. When the lid is opened the front row of cigarettes is more readily accessible than the centre or rear rows. Typically, cigarettes in conventional cigarette packages include filters at one end, and it is the filters which are presented to the consumer upon opening the package.

It can be difficult to extract cigarettes from conventional packages. In particular it can be very difficult to remove the first cigarette from the package. In European Patent No. 556628, the package is provided with an interior lifting element, which extends under one or more cigarettes to a tab portion, which when pulled, raises one or more cigarettes, longitudinally, in order to ease extraction from the package. Notwithstanding this improvement to conventional cigarette packs, a user attempting to extract a cigarette may have to touch several of the cigarette filters in order to extract one or more cigarettes. This is disadvantageous because any substance on a consumer's fingers may be transferred to the surface of the filter which is placed in the consumer's mouth. This can have a detrimental effect on the filter and also to the consumer's smoking experience.

The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a package for smoking articles, comprising: a body having front, rear and opposing side walls; a lid, having respective front, rear and opposing side walls, the back wall of the lid being hinged to the back wall of the body; and an interior lifting element for urging one or more cigarettes towards an access aperture in the package, the interior lifting element comprising a pull tab, wherein the pull tab is arranged to latch on an inner surface of the lid as the lid is moved in an opening direction from a substantially closed position towards a substantially open position.

Advantageously, the interior lifting element makes it easier for a consumer to extract a cigarette from the package. The pull tab may also latch on the inner surface of the lid as the lid is moved in a closing direction from the substantially open position towards the substantially closed position. Latching in this regard ensures that the tab is retained in an optimum position while the lid is closed. Optionally, the smoking articles are arranged within the package to be disposed in a transverse direction. Extraction of a cigarette may be achieved without requiring the consumer to touch or handle the filter of the cigarette.

Preferably, the inner surface of the lid comprises a latch. In one embodiment, the latch is formed by an overlapping portion of the front wall of the lid, to which the pull tab latches. In an alternative embodiment, the latch is formed by a fold-line on an inner surface of the front wall of the lid, to which the pull tab latches.

In a preferred embodiment, the pull tab is arranged to unlatch from the inner surface of the lid, as the lid is moved in the opening direction toward the

substantially open position. More preferably, the pull tab is arranged to create a sound when it is unlatched from the inner surface of the lid. When the lid is opened beyond a certain angle, the pull tab may be unlatched from the inside of the lid producing a sound, for example a 'click' or a 'snap' noise. This sound brings the pull tab to the attention of the consumer to encourage its use when extracting one or more cigarettes. Typically, the interior lifting element comprises a loop portion arranged to extend under at least one smoking article.

Preferably, the loop portion of the interior lifting element has a plurality of fold lines creating a curved section of the loop portion to grip a bottommost cigarette during extraction.

In one embodiment, the interior lifting element is not integrally formed with the body of the package, and the interior lifting element comprises a package-contacting portion connected to an inner surface of the body.

Optionally, the package-contacting portion of the interior lifting element is attached to the inside surface of the front wall of the body, and the loop portion extends underneath the bottommost cigarette and up the inside surface of the rear wall of the body.

In a preferred embodiment, the package-contacting portion of the interior lifting element extends further than the front wall of the body through the access aperture, creating a lip between the interior lifting element and an aperture edge of the front wall. This lip provides a 'stop' point for the front wall of the lid, when the lid is moved in the closing direction.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a first blank for manufacturing the body and hinged lid of the package of the first aspect of the invention.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a second blank for manufacturing the interior lifting element of the package of the first aspect of the invention.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an integral blank for manufacturing the package of the first aspect of the invention, the interior lifting element being integrally formed with the body of the package. The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a package according to a first embodiment of the present invention, having a hinged lid in a closed position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the package of Figure 1 showing the hinged lid in an open position, and the package containing at least one cigarette;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the package of Figure 2 in the open position, containing no cigarettes, showing an interior lifting element having a pull tab;

Figures 4a to 4c are perspective views of the interior lifting element, as situated in a package, in an un-extended position, a partially extended position; and fully extended position, respectively;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the hinged lid of Figure 2, including, in expanded detail, an end section of the lid showing a latch arrangement according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 6a to 6h are side elevations of an upper part of the package of Figures 1 to 3, showing the hinged lid and the pull tab in different positions as the hinged lid is moved from an open position to a closed position and back to the open position;

Figure 7 is a two-dimensional (2D) image of a blank for manufacturing the hinged- lid package of Figures 1 to 3; and

Figure 8 is a two-dimensional (2D) image of a blank for manufacturing the interior lifting element of Figures 4a to 4c.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 to 3 show a package 1 for cigarettes of generally rectangular shape in a closed configuration. The package 1 comprises a body 2 having two major laterally opposed front 4 and rear walls 6, two minor laterally opposed side walls 8, formed by overlapping panels on the front 4 and rear walls 6; a closed bottom end 10, and an open top end 12, longitudinally opposed to the closed bottom end 10, that provides an access aperture 14. The front wall 4 is typically shorter than the rear wall 6 to facilitate access to cigarettes in the package 1. A lid hinged 16 attached to the rear wall 6 along fold line 20 may be moved through 180° between a closed position of Figure 1, and an open position of Figures 2 and 3. The package shown in Figure 2, in the open position, contains at least one cigarette 22. As shown, cigarettes are dispensed transver sally, as opposed to longitudinally in conventional cigarette packs. In one embodiment, the distance between the front 4 and rear walls 6 is sufficiently wide for a single row of cigarettes 22. In another embodiment, the front 4 and rear walls 6 are placed sufficiently far apart for a plurality of rows of cigarettes, in a transverse arrangement.

Figure 3 shows an empty package 1 in the fully open position without any cigarettes. As shown, a pull tab 26 protrudes from the access aperture 14. The pull tab 26 is formed at one end of an interior lifting element 28. The other end of the interior lifting element 28 is attached to the inner surface of the front wall 4. The interior lifting element is arranged to run underneath a bottommost cigarette in a package 1, up the inside surface of the rear wall 6 and protrude through the access aperture 14, extending to the pull tab 26, as shown in Figure 3. When the pull tab 26 is pulled the interior lifting element 28 urges any cigarettes 22 within the package toward and beyond the access aperture 14.

Figure 4a shows, in bold lines, the interior lifting element 28 as situated within a package 1 of one embodiment of the present invention. To improve the clarity of this figure, the package 1 which typically fits around the interior lifting element 28 is shown in dashed lines. With reference to Figures 3 and 4a, the interior lifting element 28 has a package- contacting portion 30 for connection with the inner surface of the front wall 4 of the package 1. In one embodiment, the package-contacting portion 30 extends further out of the access aperture 14 than the front wall 4 of the package, as shown by reference 32. The connection between an aperture edge 34 of the front wall 4, in the general region of the access aperture 14, and the package-contacting portion 30 of the interior lifting element 28 creates a lip 34a. In the closed configuration (as shown in Figure 1), a protruding edge 16a of the hinged lid 16 abuts the lip 34a to ensure the lid 16, when moved to the closed position, rests in an optimal position.

Returning to Figure 4a, the package-contacting portion 30 extends to a loop portion 36 of the interior lifting element 28. The loop portion 36 is arranged to run underneath the bottommost cigarette in the package 1, such that when the pull tab 26 of the interior lifting element 28 is pulled outwards from the access aperture 14, the length of the loop portion 36 remaining within the package shortens, and the cigarette(s) 22 are urged toward, and out of the access aperture 14. Figure 4a shows the interior lifting element 28 in a non-extended position, with a section of the loop portion near or touching the inner surface of the closed bottom end 10. Figures 4b and 4c show the interior lifting element 28, in a partially extended position and a fully extended position, respectively. As the pull tab 26 is pulled, the loop portion 36 of the interior lifting element 28 lifts away from the inner surface of the front wall 4 at a first loop-portion fold line 40, and also lifts away from the inner surface of the closed bottom end 10.

Lugs 42a, 42b on the package-contacting portion 30 of the interior lifting element 28 extend longitudinally from the first loop-portion fold line 40 toward the closed bottom end 10. The lugs 42a, 42b are separated from the loop portion 36 by slits 44a, 44b. The lugs protect against possible damage to the loop portion 36 by preventing separation of the loop portion 36 from the package-contacting portion 30 along the first loop-portion fold line 40. The lugs 42a, 42b also provide a secure anchor for the loop portion 36, when it is fully extended, to deter the package- contacting portion 30 from detaching from the inner surface of the front wall 4.

The loop portion 36 also includes a plurality of closely spaced parallel fold lines (see reference 36a in Figure 8) which create a curved bend in the loop portion 36. In one embodiment of the present invention, the curved bend of the interior lifting element is arranged to fit against a curved wall surface between the front wall 4 and the closed bottom end 10, when the interior lifting element is in the non-extended position. The curved bend of the loop portion 36 is arranged to contact a greater surface area of a cigarette 22. This improves grip on the bottommost cigarette while the tab portion 26 is being pulled. In addition, the curved bend of the loop portion 36 is curved in order to give a flexible edge when lifting the cigarettes, which may not be achieved with a non-flexible edge. The loop portion 36 further includes a second fold line (see reference 36b in Figure 8) which is arranged to fit against the fold or join between the closed bottom end 10 and the rear wall 6 of the body 2.

The above fold lines 40, 36a, 36b, together with the rigidity of the loop portion 36, are arranged to encourage, the loop portion 36 to return to an optimal position, when the interior lifting element 28 is returned to its non-extended position, for the lid 16 to close.

The pull tab 26 connects to the loop portion 36 at a third fold line 45. The pull tab 26 is folded at an angle suitable for presentation to a consumer wishing to extract a cigarette 22, and at a suitable angle for latching on the inner surface of the hinged lid 16.

Referring to Figures 1 and 5, the lid 16 has front 46 and rear walls 48, and two opposing side walls 50. In the closed position, the two side walls 50 and the front wall 46 of the lid 16 are arranged to lay-over corresponding portions of the interior lifting element 28, which extend above the front 4 and side walls 8 of the package 1. The front wall 46 of the lid extends toward the rear wall 48 of the lid 16, and comprises a curved section 52. The inner surface of the front wall of the lid comprises a latch 54 for latching the pull tab 26 as the lid 16 is opened and/ or closed.

In one embodiment, the front wall portion 46 of the lid has two sections, a first section 58 of a desired lid length and a second section 60 of additional length. The second section 60 is folded over, at fold line 62 and is fixed, by any suitable fixing means, for example adhesive, to the inner surface of the first section 58. The latch 54 shown in Figure 5, referred to as a lipped latch, is formed where an extreme end of the second section 60 meets the inner surface of the first section 58.

In another embodiment, not shown in the figures, the latch is formed at a folded/grooved section of the inner surface of the front wall 46 of the lid 16.

The latch of either embodiment may extend substantially along the whole width of the lid 16 as shown in Figure 5, or may be of any suitable dimensions to ensure a latched communication with the pull tab 26 for a portion of the time while the lid is moved from the open position to the closed position and vice versa. The movement of the lid from a fully open position to a fully closed position and back again to the fully open position is described in detail with reference to Figures 6a to 6h. Dashed lines in Figures 6a to 6h show portions of the interior lifting element 28 and pull tab 26 as they are positioned inside the package. Figures 6a to 6d are side views of the lid 16 from the fully open position in Figure 6a to the fully closed position in Figure 6d. In Figure 6a, the pull tab 26 is not in contact with the lid 16, and shows the pull tab 26 at a suitable angle for presentation to the consumer and for latching on the inner surface of the lid 16. When the lid 16 is moved from this position towards the closed position the protruding edge 16a of the lid contacts (as shown in Figure 6b), or passes over, a tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26. As the lid 16 continues to close, the tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 may be in sliding connection with the inner surface of the front wall 46 of the lid 16 (i.e. the inner surface of second section 60 of front wall 46 of the lid), as shown in Figure 6c. Alternatively, the lid 16 may pass freely over the pull tab 26, until the lid is in the fully closed position of Figure 6d. It this position, the tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 will likely be in contact with the inner surface of the lid 16.

Figures 6e to 6h are side views of the lid 16 from the fully closed position in Figure 6e to the fully open position in Figure 6h. When the lid 16 is moved from the closed position toward the open position, the tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 is in sliding connection with the inner surface of the front wall 46 of the lid (i.e. the inner surface of first section 58 of front wall 46 of the lid 16). As the lid 16 continues to move in the opening direction, the tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 connects with, and latches against the lipped latch 54, as shown in Figure 6f. The tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 remains latched as the lid 16 continues to open, and as the lid 16 pivots around the hinge 20 of the lid 16. The tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 being latched on the inner surface of the lid causes the pull tab 26 to pivot around the third fold line 45 of the interior lifting element 28, as shown in Figure 6g. When the lid 16 pivots beyond a certain angle, the tip 70 of the pull tab 26 disengages with the latch 54. The pull tab 26 then is free from the lid 16, as shown in Figure 6h, and is available to facilitate extraction of cigarettes from within the package.

At the point at which the tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 disengages with the latch 54, the pull tab 26 and the latch 54 create a 'click' or 'snap' noise. This is because as a result of the third fold line 45, the pull tab is resiliently biased to return to an optimal free position, as shown in Figure 6h.

The 'click' or 'snap' noise created alerts the consumer to the availability of the tab portion to facilitate cigarette extraction. Encouraging the use of the pull tab deters the user from trying to use their fingers and thumb to grip onto the cigarette 22 for extraction. This latter method of extraction is disadvantageous because, if the consumer grips too tightly, perhaps as a result of the cigarettes being a tight fit within the package, the cigarette could be damaged along its length. During movement of the lid 16, when the tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 is latched or is in connection with the inner surface of the lid, the pull tab 26 is held in an optimal latched position both as the lid is closing, and during an initial phase of the lid opening. This advantageously protects the pull tab 26 from potential damage as the lid 16 is opened and closed. For example, the tip edge 70 of the pull tab 26 in sliding connection with the inner surface of the front wall portion of the lid, as shown in Figure 6g, prevents the pull tab from being trapped between the protruding edge 16a of the lid, and the package-contacting portion 30 of the interior lifting element 28.

Figures 7 and 8 are two-dimensional (2D) representations of blanks according to another aspect of the present invention. Figure 7 shows a blank 80, which when constructed forms the package 1 including the hinged lid 16. Figure 8, shows a blank 90 which is inserted into and connected to the inside surface of the front 4 and side walls 8 of the body to form the interior lifting element 28. The blank 90 of the interior lifting element may be attached to the inside surface of the front and side walls using any suitable adhesive. Reference numerals in Figures 7 and 8 refer to the corresponding features described above in relation to Figures 1 to 6h. The described embodiments relate to a package where the package-contacting portion of the interior lifting element is attached to the inner surface of the front wall 4 of the body of the package 1, and the pull tab 26 extends out of the access aperture 14, toward the rear wall 6. However, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that this arrangement could be reversed. In this alternative embodiment, the latch 54 on the inner surface of the lid 16 is arranged to latch in an opposite direction to the described embodiment, and the pull tab is angled accordingly.

While one aspect of the present invention has been described with reference to transverse extraction of the cigarettes, a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate the configuration of the package could be altered to dispense cigarettes in a longitudinal direction. In such an embodiment, the loop portion of the interior lifting element may be arranged to run under the tip(s) of one or more cigarettes. In addition, according to the described embodiments of the invention, the body 2 of the package 1 and the interior lifting element 28 are separate elements formed from the separate blanks of Figures 7 and 8. However, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that is it is possible to create a single blank having an integral interior lifting element thereon. For example, the blank shown in Figure 7 could be adapted to include a loop portion of the interior lifting element similar to that of Figure 8. When the single blank is formed into the package, the loop portion may be folded at the upper edge of the access aperture, to run down the inner surface of the front wall, under the bottommost cigarette and up the inner surface of the rear wall, as in the above described embodiment.