US2894619A - Cigarette and match package - Google Patents

Description

July 14, 1959 A. GALLO CIGARETTE AND MATCH PACKAGE Filed April 7, 1958 2 K m .m. m 4 4 4 0 o E I a a 4 w M 8 n m w A fivbil W wMNMw United States Patent CIGA REI'DE AND MATCH PACKAGE Alfredo Gallo, Miami, Fla.

Application April 7, 1958, Serial No. 726,756 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-48) This invention relates to smokers articles and more particularly to a combined cigarette package and match container.

An object of the invention is to provide improvements in cigarette packages and particularly the now popular cigarette box. The improvements involve a structure that includes matches on the front thereof so that when the box is opened to obtain a cigarette, a flap in the front of the box also opens, exposing the matches which may be ignited by striking them below the matches as in any ordinary book of matches or on the bottom or sides of the cigaretter box. In this way the purchaser of a package of cigarettes has automatically with the cigarettes his matches contained neatly, orderly and conveniently.

One of the important features of the invention is the flap at the front of the box which automatically opens exposing the matches whenever the user opens the box to remove a cigarette from the box. In this way there is the simultaneousness of action when the top of the box is opened. The top serves the double purpose of maintaining the closure flap in the closed position and covering the ends of the cigarettes in the box.

Another important feature of this invention is the organization of the matches enabling them to be placed in a thin volume. The matches are attached to strips, as are ordinary book matches, but the matches are of alternately short and long lengths, and where the heads of the matches are adjacent to each other, they are flush or coplanar so that they remain in a single row instead of the ordinary double or triple row as in ordinary book matches. This is made possible by a special shape for the ends of the matches whereby the sulphur is built up on a thinner part of the match stems. The required amount of sulphur is supported at the ends of the matches but yet the sulphur does not objectionably bulge to the left or right, front or rear of the matches.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a package constructed in accordance with the invention and in the closed position.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the package of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the package in Figure 1 but showing the package in the open condition.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2 and showing the special construction of the matches.

In the accompanying drawings there is a package which is preferably a box-type container of stiff cardboard or the like. It has two sides 12 and 14, a bottom 16 and a rear wall 18. The upper edges 20 and 22 of ice sides 12 and 14 are sloped downwardly and forwardly toward the open front of the package 10 (Figure 3). The open front has a closure 24 hinged by an integral hinge 26 to the front edge of the bottom 16 of the package. The top edge 28 of the closure 24 is sloped to'an apex 30 at its center. Accordingly, the closure can be swung from the package closing position (Figure 1) to the package open position (Figure 3) by swinging it downwardly about the integral hinge 26.

The top 34 of the package has a front wall 36, two side walls 38 and 40 together with a back wall 42. The back wall has an integral hinge 44 connecting it to the upper edge of the back wall 18 of the body of the package. Integral hinges 44 and 26 are made by having a fold line pressed or otherwise made from the weakened or bendable line across the integrally joined parts of the package. The edges of sides 38 and 40 are beveled to correspond with the bevel of edges 20 and 22 so that when the top of the box is in the closed position, the bev-. eled edges match with each other forming rectangles of the sides of the package (Figure 1). When closed, the upper portion of closure 24 has its apical part fitted. beehind the front wall 36 of the box or package top 34. This holds the closure 24 in the closed position. .When the top of the box is lifted, as by flipping it up with the 'thumb, closure 24 is swung downwardly as shownin Figure 3. This exposes the front compartment 46 within which matches 48 are located and also exposes rear compartment 50 within which cigarettes 52 are disposed. Compartments 46 and 50 are separated from each other by a partition 54 parallel to the back wall 18 and attached at at least its bottom edge to the bottom 16 of the package. There is an upwardly opening notch 58 at the top edge of partition 54 to provide access to the cigarettes 52 in compartment 50.

The matches 48 are in a single row at their upper ends. Their lower ends are integrally joined to two strips 60 and 62 and the front one of these strips 60 has a striking surface 64 thereon. The striking surface is made by an abrasive in the ordinary way. An additional striking surface 66 also made by an abrasive, is on the bottom 16. Additional striking surfaces can be applied on the back or sides or on the closure 24 of the package. As the match stems 68 rise upwardly from their supporting strips 60 and 62, they are bent so that the heads 70 of the matches are in one plane or substantially contained within one plane. This is so that the compartment 46 can be made thin. Ordinarily the sulphur at the upper ends of the matches would not permit such a construction because the sulphur hangs outwardly from the sides of the match stems. Therefore, the upper ends 72 of each match stem are sloped to form a point or substantial point (Figure 4). The sulphur 74 can be built up on these reduced width parts of the match stems 68 so that the same amount of sulphur necessary for igniting the match, can be applied to the match stems and yet not hang over any substantial amount to the left or right or the front or back of the match stemso Also, the height of alternate matches is staggered so that there are alternately a long and a short match as shown in Figure 3.

The use of the invention is considered apparent. By flipping open the package, the cigarette and matches are exposed. A match can be taken from the group of matches, a cigarette taken from compartment 50, and then the match struck to light the cigarette. To close the package, the closure 24 is moved upwardly so that it is approximately parallel to partition 54 and then the top 34 of the box flipped downward until the front wall 36 thereof engages over the upper edge portion 78 of closure 24.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous Patented July 14, 11 259 modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A combination cigarette and match package comprising a container that has side walls, a bottom wall and an open front, an integral closure attached to the forward edge of said bottom wall and adapted to overlie and close said open front, said closure having an upper locking edge, a top hinged to the back Wall of said container and having a front Wall which overlies said locking portion of said closure to hold said closure in the closed position, a partition in said container and substantially parallel to the back Wall of said container and separating said container into a cigarette compartment and a match compartment, matches in said match compartment, said matches including stems, said matches being alternately long and short in comparison to each other thereby staggering the heads of the matches vertically, and said heads being substantially coplanar in said compartment to occupy a minimum thickness in said compartment.

2. A cigarette package of claim 1 wherein said partition has an upwardly opening notch at its upper end to provide ready access to the cigarette in said cigarette compartment when the lid is opened.

3. A combination cigarette and match package comprising a container that has side Walls, a bottom wall and an open front, an integral closure attached to the forward edge of said bottom wall and adapted to overlie and close said open front, said closure having an upper locking edge, a top hinged to the back wall of said container and having a front wall which overlies said locking portion of said closure to hold said closure in the closed position, a partition in said container and substantially parallel to the back wall of said container and separating said container into a cigarette compartment and a match compartment, matches in said match compartment, said matches including stems, said matches being alternately long and short in comparison to each other thereby staggering the heads of the matches vertically, and said heads being substantially coplanar in said compartment to occupy a thickness in said compartment, said each match stern having a reduced upper end, the striking head on said upper end adhered to said reduced upper end and being substantially no wider than the lower part of a match stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 255,095 Baker Mar. 21, 1882 1,035,542 Curtiss Aug. 13, 1912 1,619,622 MacVey Mar. 1, 1927 2,000,328 Harris May 7, 1935 2,447,787 Atkinson Aug. 24, 1948 2,872,097 Graybill Feb. 3, 1959

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