WO2008135864A2

WO2008135864A2 - A pocket-size hybrid container for consumer items

Info

Publication number: WO2008135864A2
Application number: PCT/IB2008/001836
Authority: WO
Inventors: James L. Clark; William T. Griffin; Robert T. Mitten
Original assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.
Priority date: 2007-05-07
Filing date: 2008-05-07
Publication date: 2008-11-13
Also published as: US8393465B2; WO2008135864A3; US20090014343A1

Abstract

A three-piece pocket-size hybrid container (400) for holding a consumer product such as smokeless tobacco product in an interior volume of an inner ring (200) mechanically secured to an interior of an outer base housing (300) including a cover (100) to fit over and snugly around the inner ring (200). When closed, a cover sidewall (110) may engage a sidewall (310) of the outer base housing (300) to form a flush exterior sidewall of the closed container (400) or the cover sidewall (110) may be spaced apart from the outer base housing (300) to form a gap in the exterior sidewall of the closed container (400). The outer base housing (300) and cover (100) can be metal and the inner ring (200) can be plastic to provide a strong and robust package that maintains product freshness and is easily opened and closed.

Description

A POCKET-SIZE HYBRID CONTAINER FOR CONSUMER ITEMS

Summary

A three-piece hybrid container adapted to hold consumer items, such as smokeless tobacco products, and in particular a pocket-size container that has a lid over a dual-wall base to provide strength, maintain freshness of the consumer items, and facilitate opening and closing of the container

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIGS 1A-1 C show an embodiment of a cover to an embodiment of a hybrid container, the cover having a round shape with corners rounded with a smooth radius,

FIGS 2A-2C illustrate an embodiment of an inner ring to the hybrid container,

FIGS 3A and 3B illustrate an embodiment of an outer base housing to the hybrid container, the outer base housing having a round shape with corners rounded with a smooth radius,

FIGS 4A and 4B show an embodiment of the hybrid container with the base housing inner ring of FIG 2A inserted in the outer base housing of FIG 3A,

FIG 5 is an embodiment of a hybrid container, the cover and outer base housing having round shape with corners rounded with a smooth radius,

FIGS 6A and 6B illustrate embodiments of the hybrid container with the cover of FIG 1 A closed over the inner ring of FIG 2A inserted in the outer base housing of FIG 3A, and

FIG 7A illustrates an embodiment of a perforated label around a periphery of an embodiment of the hybrid container and FIGS 7B-7F illustrate embodiments of a perforated label prior to placing around a periphery of a hybrid container

Detailed Description

According to the present invention there is provided a pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products comprising an outer base housing having a bottom portion and a sidewall portion, an inner ring located inside the outer base housing such that a protruding portion of the inner ring extends above the sidewall portion of the outer base housing, and a cover having a top portion and downwardly extending flange portion which fits snugly around the protruding portion of the inner ring thereby defining an interior volume within the inner ring and bottom portion of the outer base housing

As described herein, a three-piece pocket-size hybrid container has an inner ring secured to the inside of an outer base housing and a cover to snugly close over the inner ring In an embodiment, the cover and outer base housing are of one material and the inner ring is of a second material In a preferred embodiment, the cover and outer base housing are metal and the inner ring is plastic, the inner ring providing a mechanical connection with the base and a friction fit with the cover such that the cover and base are supported only by the inner ring The hybrid container preferably contains consumer items within an interior volume defined by the space within the inner ring

Preferably, the hybrid container outer base housing and cover are shaped with all edges rounded with a smooth radius This gives an appealing feel to the hybrid container when handled or placed in a pocket More preferably, the hybrid container is cylindrical with a round cover and round outer base housing, although in other embodiments the hybrid container may have other shapes such as cuboid

Preferably, the outer base housing fits securely around the inner ring Preferably, the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover surrounds the inner ring to form a snug closure over the inner ring The downwardly extending flange portion of the cover may extend downward to meet the sidewall portion of the outer base housing such that the hybrid container has a solid flush sidewall when closed In other preferred embodiments the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover extends downward toward the sidewall portion of the outer base housing such that an annular gap extends around the periphery of the hybrid container between the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover and the sidewall portion of the outer base housing when the hybrid container is closed

In a preferred embodiment, the outside of the cover and/or outer base housing will be pre-pnnted and treated with a protective scratch resistant textured material such as a polymer coating Preferably, the pocket-size hybrid container comprises a printed label on at least one of an exterior surface of the outer base housing and an exterior surface of the cover, and a scratch resistant textured coating on the exterior and/or interior surfaces of the outer base housing and the cover

Preferably, the pocket-size hybrid container comprises a corrosion resistant coating on at least one of the interior of the outer base housing and the interior of the cover Preferably, the inside of the cover and outer base housing will be treated with a corrosion-resistant coating such as, for example, an epoxy coating for corrosion protection

At least one of the cover and the bottom portion of the outer base housing may comprise a recessed panel to accept one from the group of embossing, labeling, onsetting applications, ink jet printing or a combination thereof For example, the cover and/or the outer base housing may have a top and bottom recessed panel Such a recessed panel is preferred to allow for embossing, labeling, ink jet printing, onserting, and other similar applications Preferably, the downwardly extending flange portion comprises a rolled edge that forms a seal with the inner ring Preferably, the seal allows off-gassing while retaining freshness of the consumer products contained in the container The inner ring external surface may comprise a ridge to engage the rolled edge of the downwardly extending flange, the downwardly extending flange portion and/or the inner ring elastically deforming when the rolled edge passes over the ridge

In a preferred embodiment, the edge of the downwardly extending flange portion is rolled inwardly The rolled edge engages the outer surface of the inner ring to provide a friction fit around the inner ring Preferably, the top of the inner ring is tapered to allow easy positioning or alignment of the cover rolled edge around the top of the inner ring and to make a snug closure of the hybrid container when the cover and outer base housing are squeezed towards each other The inner ring preferably contacts the bottom portion of the outer base housing base and the top portion of the cover when the container is closed

Preferably, the downwardly extending flange portion extends downward from the top portion of the cover a distance in a range of between about 30% to about 50% of the distance from the top portion of the cover to the bottom portion of the outer base housing when the cover closes the container More preferably, the downwardly extending flange portion extends downward from the top portion about 40% to about 45% of the distance from the top portion to the bottom portion when the cover closes the container

In a preferred embodiment, the hybrid container has about a 42/58% split ratio of cover height to outer base housing height That is, the cover overlies about 42% of the height of the inner ring and the outer base housing overlies about 58% of the inner ring The parting line between the cover and the outer base housing is thus located such that about 42% of the hybrid container height may be partitioned to the cover and about 58% of the hybrid container height may be partitioned to the outer base housing Such a preferred split ratio is proportioned to indicate to a user an upright position during cover removal with the thinner cover (lid) being oriented above the outer base housing However, the split ratio can have any other desired value For example, the hybrid container may have a split ratio in a range of about 70% to about 30% of the container height partitioned to the cover height and correspondingly about 30% to about 70% partitioned to the outer base housing height In an embodiment, the split ratio can also be selected to achieve a certain desired internal volume consistent with the amount of product to be stored in the hybrid container For example, the hybrid container can be about 25 mm high and have about a 68 mm diameter In such an embodiment, the cover height can be about 10 5 mm and the outer base housing height can be about 14 5 mm

In an embodiment, the inner ring is a single piece of injection-molded plastic such as, for example, low-density polyethylene resin Suitable plastics include, without limitation, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, nylon, polysulfone, polyester, polyurethane, and combinations thereof Because some plastics absorb flavors, the preferred plastic is polypropylene if the enclosed product includes flavors

In one embodiment, the cover and outer base housing are formed of a metal stamping Suitable metals, include without limitation aluminum, aluminum alloys, steels, stainless steel alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, magnesium, magnesium alloys, tin, tin alloys, copper, copper alloys, brasses, and combinations thereof The cover and outer base housing are preferably identical in shape with the only differences being the height of the downwardly extending flange portion and sidewall portion of the cover and outer base housing, respectively, and width of the inwardly rolled edge

Preferably, the inner ring provides a seal to the hybrid container cover Also preferably, the inner ring facilitates removing the cover and replacing the cover to open and close the hybrid container In a preferred embodiment the seal is not hermetic, but is optimized such that the product is allowed to off-gas and yet retain freshness In a preferred embodiment, the inner ring has one or more channels, vents and/or ribs to allow egress of gas and to facilitate easier opening and closing of the hybrid container

Preferably, the protruding portion of the inner ring comprises one from the group consisting of channels, ribs, grooves or combination thereof to vent the interior volume and facilitate opening and closing of the container

Where the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover comprises a rolled edge that forms a seal with the inner ring, the inner ring preferably comprises at least one air passage through which air escapes past the rolled edge when the downwardly extending flange portion descends around the inner ring to close the container and through which air enters past the rolled edge when the downwardly extending flange portion ascends along the inner ring to open the container Preferably, the inner ring comprises a plurality of air passages evenly spaced around a periphery of the inner ring

In an embodiment, the inner ring has a snap ring around the outer periphery such that when opening and closing the hybrid container the downwardly extending flange portion elastically expands and/or the inner ring elastically contracts to pass a protrusion of the downwardly extending flange portion over the snap ring The protrusion may be, for example, an inwardly rolled edge of the downwardly extending flange portion or annular projection forming another snap ring on the interior of the downwardly extending flange

Preferably, a bottom portion of the inner ring contacts the bottom portion of the outer base housing In the preferred embodiment, the inner ring is mechanically secured to the outer base housing Preferably, the inner ring is secured to the outer base housing by a machine curl on the base as described later with reference to FIGS 3B and 4B Also, preferably, no adhesives or glues are used to aid in securing the inner ring to the outer base housing, but such adhesives may be used if desired Preferably, the inner ring is secured such that the bottom of the inner ring makes a tight seal against the bottom portion of the outer base housing

The inner ring may be attached to the interior of the outer base housing by an upper curled edge of the sidewall portion of the outer base housing engaged over a step in an exterior surface of the inner ring The inner ring preferably includes a tapered lower portion with an annular step located approximately midway between the top and bottom of the inner ring The preferred location of the annular step may be selected so that the hybrid container has a split ratio of cover height to outer base housing height in the range of about 70 30 to about 30 70 Preferably, the location of the annular step may be selected so that the split ratio of cover height to outer base housing height is about 42 58 Such an arrangement allows the inner ring to be snap fitted in the outer base housing base with the bottom of the inner ring contacting the bottom portion of the outer base housing, the sidewall portion of the outer base housing contacting the tapered lower portion of the inner ring and the annular step contacting the machine curl of the sidewall portion of the outer base housing

While the inner ring is preferably secured to the outer base housing by a machine curl, other mechanical joints can be used For example, an embodiment may include dimpling the outer base housing to clamp the inner ring securely to the outer base housing Right-handed or left-handed threads may also be used to screw the inner ring into the outer base housing or a combination of machine curling, dimpling, and/or threads may be used

While a friction fit is preferably used to hold the cover to the inner ring, the cover may be held by other arrangements For example, the inner ring may be threaded on the exterior surface of the upper portion surrounded by the cover The interior surface of the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover may have matching threads such that rotation of the cover relative to the outer base housing opens the container and rotation in an opposite direction closes the cover while the inner ring is clamped within the outer base housing to prevent the inner ring from turning

The pocket-size hybrid container may further comprise a perforated membrane covering a parting line around a periphery of the container, the parting line formed between a downward edge of the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover and an upper edge of the sidewall portion of the outer base housing when the container is closed Preferably, the membrane is one of pressure sensitive, shrink-fit, and combinations thereof Preferably, the membrane is one of polypropylene, polyolefin and combinations thereof The membrane may comprise a tamper evident pull-tab used to break the membrane for opening the container

In an embodiment, a membrane seal (FIG 7A) surrounds the periphery of the hybrid container The membrane overlaps the parting line seam between the cover and the outer base housing Preferably, the membrane seal is a pressure sensitive clear label applied to the surface of the container sidewall Also preferably, the membrane seal may be used as a tamper evident seal Also preferably, the membrane material may be polypropylene While the membrane seal is preferably polypropylene, the membrane seal may be other suitable materials such as heat shrinkable polyolefin film

In a preferred embodiment, the membrane seal is perforated to allow for appropriate hybrid container breathability Also preferably, the membrane seal covers the circumference of the hybrid container and is positioned to center such perforations across the parting line of the cover and outer base housing or gap between the spaced apart cover and outer base housing when the hybrid container is closed The use of perforated membranes improves the ability to open the hybrid container In use, the consumer breaks the seal at the perforation prior to opening the hybrid container In another embodiment, the membrane seal includes a pull-tab that is engaged to break the seal of the membrane and provide access to the contents of the hybrid container

Preferably, the membrane comprises a plurality of horizontal sections divided by horizontal rows of perforations, the plurality of sections comprising an uppermost section bonded to the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover, a lowermost section bonded to the side wall portion of the outer base housing, and at least one mid section to be removed by breaking at least two rows of perforations to allow the container to be opened after removal of the mid section

Preferably, at least one terminal end of the at least one horizontal mid section extends beyond terminal ends of the remaining horizontal sections and is rounded for ease of finger gripping and pulling Preferably, the membrane is removable after the at least one horizontal mid section is removed

The three-piece pocket-size hybrid container has an inner ring secured to the inside of an outer base housing and a cover to snugly close over a protruding portion of the inner ring As illustrated in FIG 1A, a cover 100 (shown in an inverted position) consists of a top portion 106 to cover an interior volume of the hybrid container, a flange portion 1 10 which engages the inner ring, and a lip portion 104 which engages an upper edge of the outer base housing or is spaced apart from the upper edge of the outer base housing The cover top portion 106 joins the flange portion 1 10 in a rounded corner 108 having a smooth radius Although the top portion 106 is shown as circular in the preferred embodiment, other embodiments may have other shapes such as square In such an alternate embodiment, the flange portion 110 would have four sidewalls (not shown) joined to each other and to the top portion 106 with rounded corners FIG 1B shows a plan view of the hybrid container cover 100 and FIG 1C shows a cross section of the cover 100 sectioned along A-A in FIG 1 B The cover 100 has a recessed top panel 112 to accept a label (not shown) The interior of the cover flange portion 110 fits snugly around the protruding portion of the inner ring to close the hybrid container Preferably, a lip of the cover flange 110 is rolled inward and the rolled edge 102 engages the inner ring to snugly close the hybrid container

The inner ring 200 of the hybrid container 100 is shown in FIG 2A The inner ring 200 has an interior surface 202, an upper lip 204, a protruding portion 210, a step 206 in an exterior surface of the inner ring 200 to make a mechanical joint with the outer base housing, a lower portion 212 which fits snugly within the outer base housing, and the lower portion including a rounded edge 208 Although the step 206 is shown as extending around the periphery of the inner ring 200, this is not required in all embodiments, for example, the step 206 could be one or more discrete depressions or recesses in the lower portion 212 to accept mating projections on the outer base housing or vice versa In a preferred embodiment, the lower portion 212 is tapered to provide a smaller outer diameter at its bottom edge and facilitate insertion of the inner ring in the base to lock the upper edge of the base over the step 206

FIG 2B and FIG 2C illustrate a cross-section and plan view of the inner ring 200, respectively The inner ring 200 may have at least one vertically extending channel 216 to allow egress of gas to and/or from the interior of the hybrid container to maintain freshness of the product contained therein and to facilitate easier opening and closing of the hybrid container when in use Air flows through the vertically extending channels 216 past the rolled edge 102 of the cover 100 into an interior space of the hybrid container when the cover 100 is lifted away from the outer base housing Conversely, air flows out of the interior space of the hybrid container through the vertically extending channels 216 past the rolled edge of the cover 102 when the cover is pressed down on the protruding portion 210 of the inner ring 200toward the outer base housing to close the hybrid container

The vertically extending channels 216 may extend partially up the protruding portion 210 as shown in FIG 2B or all the way to the upper lip 204 The vertically extending channels 216 may vary in width to adjust the amount of air flow past the rolled edge 102 In other embodiments the channel 216 may be replaced or combined with any suitable air passage arrangement such as grooves, vents and/or ribs In a preferred embodiment, the inner ring 200 has three channels 216 distributed evenly around the circumference of the protruding portion 210

The upper lip 204 of the inner ring 200 may be tapered to facilitate alignment and placement of the cover 100 over the inner ring 200 The taper angle is not limited and may be adjusted such that a gradual increase in pressure is required as the cover 100 approaches a closed position

Although the inner ring 200 is shown as circular in the preferred embodiment, other embodiments may have other shapes such as substantially square In such an alternate embodiment, the inner ring 200 would have four sidewalls (not shown) joined to each other with rounded corners to fit snugly within an outer base housing having the same shape

FIG 3A shows the outer base housing 300 of the pocket-size hybrid container The outer base housing 300 has a bottom portion 306 of a size and shape to substantially match the top portion 106, a sidewall portion 310 joined to the bottom portion 306 in a rounded corner 308 with a smooth radius, and a sidewall upper lip 314 FIG 3B shows a cross-section of the outer base housing 300 having a recessed panel 312 and the sidewall upper lip 314 curled to form a ridge portion 316 that protrudes toward the interior of the outer base housing 302 The ridge portion 316 protrudes above the step 206 of the inner ring 200 to securely attach the inner ring 200 to the outer base housing 300

Although the bottom portion 306 is shown as circular in the preferred embodiment, other embodiments may have other shapes such as square In such an alternate embodiment, the sidewall portion 310 would have four sidewalls (not shown) joined to each other and to the bottom portion 306 with rounded corners

FIG 4A illustrates the inner ring 200 secured within the outer base housing 300 A cross-section of the inner ring 200 secured within the outer base housing 300 is shown in FIG 4B The sidewall portion 310 of the outer base housing 300 snugly surrounds the lower portion 212 of the inner ring 200 The ridge portion 316 protrudes over the step 206 to clamp the inner ring to the outer base housing FIG 4B shows the bottom of the inner ring 214 is tightly sealed against the bottom of the outer housing 306 The protruding portion 210 of the inner ring 200 extends above an upper rim 304 of the outer base housing 300 The inner volume of the container is defined between the inner surface of the inner ring, the bottom panel of the base and top panel of the cover, the inner ring providing a mechanical joint with the base and friction fit with the cover

FIG 5 illustrates the pocket-size hybrid container 400 having the cover 100 closed over the outer base housing 300 The lip portion 104 of the cover 100 proximately meets the upper rim 304 of the outer base housing 300 forming the container parting line 404 The sidewall portion 310 and the flange portion 110 form a solid flush container sidewall The container parting line 404 can be as shown or higher or lower on the container sidewall

FIG 6A shows a cross-section view of the pocket-size hybrid container 400 having the cover 100 closed over the outer base housing 300 As seen in FIG 6A, the rolled edge 102 of flange portion 110 snugly surrounds the protruding portion 210 of the inner ring 200 The lower portion 212 fits snugly within the outer base housing 300, secured by the ridge portion 316 fitted over the step 206 The cover lip portion 104 engages the upper rim 304 of the outer base housing 300 Thus, an interior volume 402 is defined between the cover 100, the interior surface 202 and the bottom portion 306 In an embodiment, the interior volume 402 contains consumer products Preferably, the product is moist smokeless tobacco (MST)

FIG 6B shows another embodiment of the pocket-size hybrid container 400 having the cover 100 closed over the outer base housing 300 As seen in FIG 6B, the cover flange portion rolled edge 102 snugly surrounds the protruding portion 210 of the inner ring 200 The inner ring lower portion 212 is locked within the outer base housing 300, secured by the ridge portion 316 fitted over the step 206 In the closed position, the cover lip portion 104 is spaced apart from the upper rim 304 such that a gap 406 extends around the circumference of the hybrid container 400 between the cover and the outer base housing

FIG 6B shows an optional annular ridge 218 on the external surface of the protruding portion 210 The ridge 218 acts as a snap ring to latch the cover closed The cover flange 1 10 moves elastically outward and/or the inner ring moves elastically inward to pass the rolled edge 102 slidably over the ridge 218 to open and close the hybrid container 400 The annular ridge 218 engages the rolled edge 102 to securely close the hybrid container 400 The position of the ridge 218 is not particularly limited and can be as shown in FIG 6B or higher or lower The position of the snap ring may depend on the height of the cover flange 1 10 The snap ring may be a continuous or discontinuous ridge The snap ring can be in an embodiment with or without the gap 406 The gap 406 can be in an embodiment of the hybrid container 400 with or without the snap ring ridge 218

FIG 7 A shows a membrane seal 500 surrounding the periphery of the hybrid container 400 The membrane seal 500 overlaps the parting line 404 seam between the hybrid container cover 100 and the hybrid container outer base housing 300 In an embodiment, the membrane seal 500 is a pressure sensitive clear label Preferably, the membrane seal 500 may be used as a tamper evident seal Also preferably, the membrane material is polypropylene However, the membrane seal may be other suitable materials such as heat shrinkable polyolefin film

As seen in FIG 7A, the membrane seal 500 may be perforated 504 according to a preferred embodiment to allow for hybrid container breathability Also shown in FIG 7A, the membrane seal 500 covers the circumference of the hybrid container 400 (FIG 5) and may be positioned to center such perforations 504 across the parting line 404 of the cover 100 and outer base housing 300 or the gap 406 between the cover 100 and outer base housing when the hybrid container 400 is closed The parting line 404 position and the gap 406 position can be as shown by perforations 504, or higher or lower Likewise, the perforations 504 can be as shown or higher or lower FIGS 7B-7F show embodiments of the membrane seal 500 prior to placement around the periphery of the hybrid container 400 As shown in FIG 7B, the membrane seal 500 has a first terminal end 506 and second terminal end 508 which can overlap, meet at a vertical seam or be separated by a gap when the membrane seal 500 is attached to the container sidewall

The membrane seal 500 preferably has a plurality of horizontal sections separated by perforations 504 For example, an upper section 510 separated from a mid section 512 by a first row of perforations 518, and a lower section 514 separated from the mid section 512 by a second row of perforations 520 Preferably, inner surfaces of upper and lower sections 510, 514 are bonded to the flange 1 10 of the cover 100 and the sidewall portion 310 of the outer base housing 300, respectively, such that the container can be opened after the mid section 512 is removed by breaking perforations 518, 520 In such an embodiment the mid section 512 is known as a tear-off strip of a tamper evident seal Preferably, the inner surfaces of upper and lower sections 510, 514 are bonded to the flange 110 of the cover 100 and the sidewall portion 310 of the outer base housing 300 by a pressure sensitive adhesive

While the inner surfaces of upper and lower sections 510, 514 are preferably bonded to the flange 1 10 of the cover 100 and sidewall portion 310 of the outer base housing 300, the upper and lower sections 510, 514 may also be not bonded such that the membrane seal 500 may optionally be completely removed when the tear-off strip 512 is severed For example, the membrane seal 500 can be shrink fitted to the periphery of the container 400 optionally covering the flange, the sidewall portion and portions of the top portion and/or bottom portion, or the entire container In such an embodiment, the membrane 500 may be completely removed from the container 400 after the tear-off strip 512 is removed

Preferably, the widths of the upper and lower sections 510, 514 are the same and the width of the mid section 512 is the same, wider or narrower than the upper and lower sections 510, 514 FIG 7B shows the mid section 512 narrower than the upper and lower sections 510, 514 and FIG 7C shows the mid section 512 approximately the same width as the upper and lower sections 510, 514 Although not required, the upper and lower sections 510, 514 may overlap the corners of the container 108, 308 The terminal ends of the horizontal sections 510, 512, 514 may be flush or rounded to facilitate attaching the membrane seal 500 to the container and locating, lifting and/or gripping the tear-off strip to open the container

FIG 7D shows a preferred embodiment where the terminal ends 524, 526 of the mid section 512 extend beyond the terminal ends of the upper and lower sections 510, 514 Preferably, the mid section terminal ends 524, 526 are rounded and can be pull tabs for tearing off the mid section 512 Also preferably, the mid section 512 is wider than the upper and lower sections 510, 514 FIG 7E shows an embodiment where a perforation 532, divides the mid section 512 into two mid sections 528, 530 In such an embodiment, mid sections 528, 530 can be removed simultaneously or consecutively That is, pulling on a first terminal end of the upper mid section 528 initially removes the upper mid section 528 around the circumference of the container 400 A second terminal end of the upper mid section 528 being connected to a terminal end of the lower mid section 530 removes the lower mid section 530 from the periphery of the container 400 leaving the upper and lower sections 510, 514 attached to the cover and base allowing the container to be opened

FIG 7F shows an embodiment where the terminal ends 506, 508 of the membrane seal 500 are flush The mid section 512 between rows of perforations 518 and 520 is shown narrower than the upper and lower sections 510, 514

Although not limited, the membrane seal 500 may be about 10 mm to about 15 mm wide Preferably about 12 mm wide The upper and lower sections 510, 514 may each be about 2 mm to about 7 mm wide and the mid section 512 width may be about 1 mm to about 8 mm wide Preferably, the mid section 512 is about 6 mm wide and the upper and lower sections 510, 514 are each about 3 mm wide

In an embodiment, the pocket-size hybrid container 400 is about 30 mm to about 100 mm in diameter, and about 15 mm to about 40 mm in height In a preferred embodiment, the hybrid container 400 fits in the palm of an adult user's hand or in a pocket Most preferably, the size of the interior volume 402 is determined based on the amount of product to be enclosed

Assembly of a hybrid container is very simple The inner ring is inserted into the outer base housing 300 and pressed down until the upper lip 314 of the outer base housing 300 is snapped over the step of the inner ring 206 The cover 100 can be installed on the protruding portion 210 of the inner ring 200

In use, a consumer grips the underside of the hybrid container 400 in the palm of his/her hand, while lifting the cover 100 away from the outer base housing 300 to expose the consumer products stored within the interior volume 402

The particular dimensions and proportions of the hybrid container are not critical The proportions are preferably selected to provide a hybrid container, which is sized to accommodate the particular items to be packaged therein Thus, the actual hybrid container could be more elongated than shown in the drawings, or the hybrid container could be more nearly square, i e , deeper than shown in the drawings Preferably, however, the hybrid container is sized so it can be conveniently carried in a pocket, and held in a hand and opened by a consumer The items can be arranged in various ways For example, the products could be arranged with the items overlapped or staggered relative to one another Of course, if the products are small enough, they could be randomly placed in the interior volume 402

The container could, of course, be used for a variety of products One specific product for which the hybrid container can be used is smokeless pouched tobacco Such tobacco can be provided in packets, sometimes known as "snus" and comprise individual packets of tobacco material

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that there is provided an inexpensive pocket- size container capable of holding multiple items, and capable of being held and opened by a consumer

It should be understood that the foregoing description is of the preferred embodiments, and is, therefore, merely representative of the article and methods of manufacturing the same It can be appreciated that variations and modifications of the different embodiments in light of the above teachings will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art For example, the inner ring 200 may have a bottom portion (not shown) to line the outer base housing bottom portion 306, the inner ring 200 may have a hollow wall, or the shape of the container my vary from circular to other shapes, such as cuboid or other polyhedron with smoothly rounded corners Accordingly, exemplary embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the articles and methods as set forth in the attached claims

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products comprising an outer base housing having a bottom portion and a sidewall portion, an inner ring located inside the outer base housing such that a protruding portion of the inner ring extends above the sidewall portion of the outer base housing, and a cover having a top portion and downwardly extending flange portion which fits snugly around the protruding portion of the inner ring thereby defining an interior volume within the inner ring and bottom portion of the outer base housing

2 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , wherein the inner ring contacts the bottom portion of the outer base housing and the top portion of the cover and the downward extending flange forms an outer flush surface with the sidewall portion when the container is closed

3 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , wherein the inner ring contacts the bottom portion of the outer base housing and the top portion of the cover and the downward extending flange and the sidewall portion of the outer base housing are spaced apart when the container is closed

4 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , wherein the container is a three-piece container consisting of the cover, outer base housing and inner ring, the outer base housing is metal, the cover is metal, and the inner ring is rigid plastic

5 A pocket-size container for use with consumer products of according to claim 4, wherein the inner ring further comprises a bottom portion, which covers an inner surface of the bottom portion of the outer, base housing

6 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion is substantially round, the sidewall portion is substantially cylindrical, the sidewall portion joins the bottom portion in a rounded corner with a smooth radius, and the cover top portion is substantially round in a size to match the bottom portion and joins the downwardly extending flange portion in a rounded corner with a smooth radius 7 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , wherein an external surface of the protruding portion of the inner ring is tapered toward an upper edge of the protruding portion to fit within the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover and the exterior surface of the protruding portion below the tapered upper edge provides a friction fit with the downwardly extending flange portion of the cover

8 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , wherein the outer base housing is locked onto the inner ring by a snap fit connection between the outer base housing and the inner ring and the cover is secured to the inner ring by a friction fit there between

9 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , wherein the downwardly extending flange compπses a rolled edge that forms a seal with the inner ring and the inner ring compπses at least one air passage through which air escapes past the rolled edge when the downwardly extending flange portion descends around the inner ring to close the container and through which air enters past the rolled edge when the downwardly extending flange portion ascends along the inner ring to open the container

10 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , further comprising a perforated membrane covering a parting line around a periphery of the container, the parting line formed between a downward edge of the downwardly extending flange portion and an upper edge of the sidewall portion when the container is closed

11 A pocket-size hybrid container for use with consumer products according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion is substantially rectangular, the sidewall portion comprises four walls joined by rounded corners with smooth radii, the four walls join the bottom portion in rounded corners with smooth radii, the downwardly extending flange portion comprises four walls extending downward joined by rounded corners with smooth radii, and the cover is substantially rectangular in a size to match the bottom portion and joins the downwardly extending four walls of the flange in rounded corners with smooth radii

12 A method of packaging smokeless tobacco products comprising machine drawing an outer base housing having a bottom portion joined to a sidewall portion by rounded corners and machine curling an upper lip on the sidewall portion, mjection molding an inner ring having a size to snugly line an interior of the outer base housing sidewall portion and protrude above the sidewall portion, the inner ring having a step around a periphery of an exterior of the inner ring to engage the curled upper lip on the sidewall portion, fitting the inner ring within the outer base housing with the upper lip fitting over the step, at least partially filling a space within the inner ring with smokeless tobacco product, covering the inner ring with a cover having a downwardly extending flange portion that fits snugly around the inner ring with a parting line between opposed edges of the cover flange and the sidewall portion of the outer base housing, and sealing the parting line with a membrane to form a pocket-size container