Cigarette case

Claim 2

A cigarette package comprising: a. a top; b. a front; c. a back; d. two sides; e. folded top flaps connected to the front and back of the package having aligned intermediate transverse slots therein; f. a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, releasably adhering to the inside of a lateral side of the package and continuously extending below said folded top flaps from said lateral side to the opening formed by the aligned slots in said folded top flaps and above said flaps from said opening back toward said lateral side; and g. means for releasably attaching said tab to a cigarette; whereby pulling said tab in the direction of said lateral side opens the top of the package and draws the cigarette up through the open top.

Claim 3

The cigarette package of claim 1 wherein the tab releasably adheres to a plurality of cigarettes.

Claim 4

The cigarette package of claim 1 further comprising score lines to enable the tab to fold at the edge of said lateral side and at the location wherein the tab passes through the opening formed by the aligned slots.

Claim 5

A blank for forming a cigarette package having formed thereon sections for two longitudinal sides and two lateral sides, two flap members to form a top, two flap members to form a bottom, slots vertically disposed centrally of the two flap members arranged to form the top thereof, said slots arranged for alignment in the assembled package state, a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, connected to the blank along the top of one lateral side section, said tab extending above the top of the blank a distance greater than one-half the length of a longitudinal side of the blank; an adhesive applied to the tab at the lower outside portion thereof arranged to releasably adhere to the upper portion of two cigarettes when a package is assembled from the blank and filled with cigarettes.

Claim 6

A blank for forming a cigarette package having formed thereon sections for two longitudinal sides and two lateral sides, two flap members to form a top, two flap members to form a bottom, slots vertically disposed centrally of the two flap members arranged to form the top thereof, said slots arranged for alignment in the assembled package state, a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, connected to the blank along the top of one lateral side section, said tab extending above the top of the blank a distance greater than one-half the length of a longitudinal side of the blank; an adhesive applied to the tab at the lower outside portion thereof arranged to releasably adhere to the upper portion of two cigarettes when a package is assembled from the blank and filled with cigarettes.

Claim 7

The blank of claim 4 further comprising wherein the top length of the tab extending above the blank is equal to the length of a longitudinal side, in the tab a first score line coinciding with the upper edge of the lateral section of the blank to which it is attached and; a second score line located a distance from the first score line that is equal to one-half the length of the portion of the blank that defines the front of the cigarette package.

Claim 8

In a cigarette package having a first longitudinal side, a second longitudinal side, a first lateral side, a second lateral side, a bottom, a first top flap from the top of the first longitudinal side extending into the area defined by the cigarette package, a second top flap from the second longitudinal side extending into the area defined by the cigarette package, and a sealing tape, the improvement comprising: a. intermediately disposed aligned slots in the top flaps; b. a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, releasably adhering to the inside of a lateral side of said cigarette package, whIch tab has a score line coinciding with the top of said side and which tab is folded along said score line to lie under the folded top flaps and extends through the slots in the top flaps and is folded back over the top flaps toward the lateral side to which it is attached to extend beyond the sealing tape; and c. whereby a pulling force on the top portion extending beyond the sealing tape tears open the portion of the top flaps which is in contact with the tab.

Claim 9

In a cigarette package having a first longitudinal side, a second longitudinal side, a first lateral side, a second lateral side, a bottom, a first top flap from the top of the first longitudinal side extending into the area defined by the cigarette package, a second top flap from the second longitudinal side extending into the area defined by the cigarette package, and a sealing tape, the improvement comprising: a. intermediately disposed aligned slots in the top flaps; b. a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, releasably adhering to the inside of a lateral side of said cigarette package, whIch tab has a score line coinciding with the top of said side and which tab is folded along said score line to lie under the folded top flaps and extends through the slots in the top flaps and is folded back over the top flaps toward the lateral side to which it is attached to extend beyond the sealing tape; and c. whereby a pulling force on the top portion extending beyond the sealing tape tears open the portion of the top flaps which is in contact with the tab.

Claim 10

The cigarette package of claim 6 further comprising th the tab a second score line located a distance from the first score line that is equal to the distance from the lateral side to which the tab is adhered to the slots in the top.

Claim 11

The cigarette package of claim 6 further comprising, in the portion of the tab located inside the cigarette package, two adhesive points to adhere to two separate cigarettes which face said side when the package is filled with cigarettes and whereby removal of the tab from the package elevates the tops of the two cigarettes above the opening in the package.