DESC:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to packaging and more particularly, to the confirmation of untampered packaging of the unlock packaging through sound.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditional packaging formats often lack a clear indication to consumers that the packaging is firmly locked and untampered. While mechanical means are used for locking, there is a need for a packaging article that can audibly confirm its untampered state to consumers.

US7428967B2 describes a rigid package for tobacco articles, having a cup-shaped container having an open end; and a cup-shaped lid hinged to the container along a hinge to rotate, with respect to the container, between an open position and a closed position respectively opening and closing the open end; a mechanical sound member being provided to generate an audible sound as the lid is opened, and which is located astride the hinge.

WO2009090919A1 describes a cigarette package in which when the tongue grid is closed, the tongue acts on the front wall of the case to generate a knocking sound by the action of the adsorption force. Therefore, the consumer can grasp that the tan grid is closed by the knocking sound.

Existing packaging solutions, such as those described in US7428967B2 and WO2009090919A1, provide mechanisms for securing the packaging but do not address the issue of providing audible confirmation of untampered packaging. These solutions rely on mechanical means or the action of the consumer to generate sound, which may not be reliable or easily detectable. The prevailing packaging formats have no indication through sound to the consumers that the pack is firmly locked. The locking is primarily through mechanical means.

The process described in the above prior arts need hand work in addition to machine packaging. Both the prior arts will generate sound in multiple opening/ closing. Hence, there is a need to design a packaging article that is able to create an audible sound purposefully to ensure that the packaging is untampered, to the consumers.

Therefore, there is a need for a packaging article that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior arts and provides a reliable and easily detectable audible confirmation of untampered packaging to consumers.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a packaging article that has none of the aforementioned drawbacks.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a packaging article that creates a purposefully audible sound with the first opening.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an audible confirmation of an untampered packaging of the packaging article to the consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following disclosure presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the present invention. It is not intended to identify the key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concept of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of the invention presented later.

The present invention relates to a packaging article that provides audible confirmation of untampered packaging. Traditional packaging formats often lack a clear indication to consumers that the packaging is firmly locked and untampered. The prevailing packaging formats primarily rely on mechanical means for locking, without providing any indication through sound to the consumers. Existing packaging solutions do not address the issue of providing audible confirmation of untampered packaging.

To overcome these drawbacks, the present invention provides a rigid packaging article according to the aspects of the present invention. The rigid packaging article comprises of a container with an open end and a lid with an open side attached to the container. The container and lid are connected by a hinge, allowing the lid to rotate between a closed position and an open position. The hinge includes a nick portion that breaks open with sheer force when the lid is first opened, creating an audible sound. This sound serves as a purposeful indication to consumers that the packaging is untampered.

The packaging article offers several advantages. It provides a reliable and easily detectable audible confirmation of untampered packaging. The audible sound is produced solely upon the initial opening of the lid, without the need for any mechanical sound means. The packaging article can be manufactured without the need for additional elements, plastic, or metals, making it economically significant. It can be manufactured using existing packaging machines without significant modifications. Additionally, the packaging article is environment friendly due to its minimal use of materials and resources.

In summary, the present invention addresses the need for a packaging article that provides audible confirmation of untampered packaging, overcoming the drawbacks of traditional packaging formats.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a top view and bottom view of a rigid packaging article.

Fig. 2 shows a front view and back view of a rigid packaging article.

Fig. 3 shows the details of hinge located at back view portion of a rigid packaging article.

Fig. 4 shows left side and right-side view of a rigid packaging article.

Fig. 5a shows a front side perspective view and Fig. 5b shows a back-side perspective view of a rigid packaging article which is in open position.

Fig. 6a shows a front side perspective view and Fig. 6b shows a back-side perspective view of a rigid packaging article which is in closed position.

Fig. 7 shows an exploded view of a rigid packaging article.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may not have been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding, but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which various embodiments belong. Further, the meaning of terms or words used in the specification and the claims should not be limited to the literal or commonly employed sense but should be construed in accordance with the spirit of the disclosure to most properly describe the present disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular various embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of various embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a rigid packaging article, said rigid packaging article comprises of a container with an open end and a lid with an open side attached to the container. The container and lid are connected by a hinge, allowing the lid to rotate between a closed position and an open position. The hinge includes a nick portion that breaks open with sheer force when the lid is first opened, creating an audible sound. This sound serves as a purposeful indication to consumers that the packaging is untampered.

The container may have the open end on the top of the container and the lid with the open side attached to the container with a hinge, said hinge located between a rear side wall of the said lid and a rear side wall of the said container to rotate/switch between an open position and closed position by opening and closing the open end of the said container. The nick portion of the hinge is represented as X in Figs. 2 and 3. The nick portion is designed to break open with the sheer force of hand movement while the lid is rotated from close position to open position about the hinge for the first time. The breaking of the nick portion creates an audible sound.

The audible sound is purposefully generated to indicate to consumers that the packaging is untampered. Importantly, the audible sound is only produced when the lid is rotated from the closed position to the open position for the first time. Subsequent openings and closings of the lid will not generate the audible sound.

The number of nick(s) can be at least one for any rigid packaging article. In one implementation, the position of the nick is at ninety degrees at the hinge area, the hinge area being the area of contact of the hinge to the container.

Fig. 1 indicates top view and bottom view of the said rigid packaging article. The description “top view” depicts the top side of the lid, while the description “bottom side” of the Fig. 1 depicts the bottom side of the container.

Fig. 2 indicates the front view and back view of the rigid packaging article. The description “front view” depicts the front view of the lid, while the description “back view” of the Fig. 2 depicts the back of the container. The front view consists of front wall of the container along with the front wall of the lid that are connected to each other via different materials including but not limited to glue, tape etc. The back view consists of back wall of the container along with the back wall of the lid that are connected to each other via hinge. The back view portion of the said packaging article as depicted in Fig. 2 further shows that the back side wall of the container is connected to the back wall of the lid. Fig. 3 shows the details of hinge located at back view portion of a rigid packaging article. The back side wall of the container and the back wall of the lid may be connected to each other via a hinge. The hinge, placed at the rear side wall of the said lid and a rear side wall of the said container, helps to rotate/switch between an open position and closed position by opening and closing the open end of the said container.

The shape of container may be, but is not limited to, a cup shaped container which has an open end at the top. The bottom end of the container is closed so that the container can store the material i.e., cigarette. The container further consists of the left side wall, right side wall, top side wall, bottom side wall, front side wall, back side wall, connected to each other to form the container open from one side and close from the other side.

The lid may be, but is not limited to, cup shaped which has an open end at the top. The bottom end of the lid is closed so as ensure the protection from any external impact such as temperature, moisture and tempering. The lid further consists of the left side wall, right side wall, top end, bottom end, front side wall, back side wall, connected to each other to form the lid open from one side and close from the other side.

The default position of the packaging article is the closed position, where the front wall of the container is connected to the front wall of the lid. In this closed position, the packaging article takes the form of a rectangular parallelepiped defined by the top end, bottom end, vertical, flat, parallel facing front side wall, back side wall, left side wall, and right side wall. As seen in Fig. 6, when lid is in the closed position, the said rigid packaging article is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped defined by the top end and bottom end, vertical, flat, parallel facing front side wall, back side wall, left side wall and right-side wall.

Fig. 4 depicts the left side view and the right side view of the rigid packaging article. Fig. 4 depicts that the left and the right side view of the rigid packaging article, is inclined. However, the open end of lid can be, but is not limited to, either inclined or flat. In other words, the front end of the lid that is connected to the container is either flat or in inclined configuration. In the flat configuration, the open end of both the container and lid, through which they are attached to each other, is parallel to the both end of each container and lid, respectively, while during the inclined configuration, the open end of both the container and lid, through which they are attached to each other, is non parallel to the bottom end of each container and lid, respectively.

According to one implementation, the shape of the container and lid can be cup-shaped, with the open ends being inclined or flat. This allows for flexibility in design and functionality. The open end of the container and lid can be inclined or flat, depending on the specific requirements of the packaging article. The present implementation provides several advantages. Firstly, it creates an audible sound with the first opening, providing a clear indication to consumers that the packaging is untampered. This enhances consumer confidence in the product. Secondly, the packaging article is economically significant as it does not require additional elements, plastic, or metals. It can be manufactured using existing packaging machines without significant modifications. Thirdly, the packaging article is environment friendly due to its minimal use of materials and resources.

When the front wall of the lid is taken away from the front wall of the container, such configuration is called the open position. Figs. 5a and 5b show a front side perspective view and a back side perspective view of a rigid packaging article which is in open position. Figs. 6a and 6b show a front side perspective view and a back side perspective view of a rigid packaging article which is in closed position. Fig. 7 shows an exploded view of a rigid packaging article. As previously said, the hinge, placed at the rear side wall of the said lid and a rear side wall of the said container, helps to rotate/switch between an open position and closed position by opening and closing the open end of the said container.

When the configuration of the packaging article is changed from the close to open position i.e., when the lid is detached from the container for the first time, the detachment of lid from the container produces an audible sound at the moment of detachment. This sound purposefully comes with the first opening so as to indicate to the consumers an untampered packaging.

The current invention provides economic significance as there is no additional element, no usage of any plastic/ metals and it does not need hand packaging and can be made on current machine without much modification.

The following advantages can be listed out from the present invention

1. The present invention creates an audible sound with the first opening and indicates the consumers of an untampered packaging.
2. Current invention provides economic significance as there is no additional element, no usage of any plastic/ metals.
3. The process is such that, it does not need hand packaging and can be made on current machine without much modification.

List of Parts/Reference numerals:
1. Lid front portion
2. Left side miter flap
3. Inner frame front
4. Front side wall
5. Left side wall
6. Left side inner frame
7. Right side miter flap
8. Right side wall
9. Hinge
10. Right side inner frame
11. Bottom end
12. Top end
13. Rear side wall of the lid
14. Nick portion
15. Rear side wall of the container/ back side wall
16. Dust flap
17. Tuck in flap
,CLAIMS:1. A rigid packaging article comprising:
a container with an open end and a lid with an open side attached to the container;
a hinge (9) connecting the container and the lid, the hinge (9) allowing the lid to rotate between a closed position and an open position;
the hinge (9) including a nick portion (14) that breaks open with sheer force when the lid is first opened, creating an audible sound.

2. The rigid packaging article of claim 1, wherein the nick portion (14) of the hinge (9) is positioned at a ninety-degree angle relative to a hinge area.

3. The rigid packaging article of claim 1 wherein the hinge (9) connects a rear side wall of the lid (13) to a rear side wall of the container (15), the hinge (9) configured to allow the lid to rotate between the closed position, wherein the lid closes the open end of the container, and the open position, wherein the lid exposes the open end of the container.

4. The rigid packaging article of claim 1, wherein the nick portion (14) is configured to break open with application of sheer force from a user's hand movement when the lid is rotated from the closed position to the open position for the first time, thereby creating an audible sound indicative of the packaging being untampered, and wherein the audible sound is produced solely upon the initial opening of the lid from the closed position without the use of any mechanical sound means.

5. The rigid packaging article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container is a cup shaped container having an open end at top of the container.

6. The rigid packaging article as claimed in claim 5 wherein the lid is a cup shaped lid having an open end at top of the lid.

7. The rigid packaging article of claim 6, wherein the container and the lid are both cup-shaped, with the open end of the container and the open end of the lid being inclined or flat.

8. The rigid packaging article as claimed in claim 1 wherein a default position of the container and the lid is the close position in which a top end of the container is connected to a top end of the lid.

9. The rigid packaging article of claim 1, wherein the container and the lid are connected to each other via the hinge (9) located at rear side wall of the lid (13) and rear side wall of the container (15).

10. The rigid packaging article of claim 1, wherein the rigid packaging article is a rectangular parallelepiped in the closed position, defined by top end (12), bottom end (11), vertical, flat, parallel facing front side wall (4), back side wall (15), left side wall (5), and right side wall (8).