Cigarette carton with pack separator

Claim 1

A cigarette carton defining an elongated enclosure which is normally adapted to receive a quantity of standard size cigarette packS arranged upright therein in two co-extensive rows with the packs in each row extending in side-by-side alignment and being paired with a corresponding pack in the other row, the packs in each pair being in side-surface-to-side-surface abutment, said carton being dimensioned so as to encircle snugly said quantity of standard size packages when received in said carton, in combination with, an equal quantity of smaller than standard size cigarette packs received in said carton in predetermined positionings therein, and means for holding said smaller than standard size cigarette packs snugly and in spaced apart relation within said carton and to prevent longitudinal lateral movement of said smaller than standard size packs from said positionings, said means including a centrally located molded plastic spacer removably received in said carton and comprising, a relatively thin panel extending substantially lengthwise of the carton and disposed between the adjacent rows of packs and comprised of five sections, each of the sections having a top and bottom and the tops being arcuate to facilitate the relative insertion of the spacer between the rows of packs, laterally extending ribs extending integrally from opposed sides of said panel at the juncture of each section for disposition between adjacent packs of each row whereby the packs are spaced from each other longitudinally by the ribs to hold such packs longitudinally in said predetermined positionings with said central panel spacing the packs of each row outwardly against the surfaces of the carton to complete the predetermined positionings of said packs within the carton, and means on each of said section and ribs for facilitating the insertion of the spacer between the packs.