[0014] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 of the drawings, 1 denotes a pack for tobacco products, in its entirety, embodied in this particular instance as a rigid packet 2 serving to contain a group of cigarettes (not illustrated), comprising a cupped container 3 with an open top end 4 surmounted by a lid 5 also of cupped embodiment, joined to the container 3 along a hinge line 6 and rotatable thus between an open position, illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, and a position in which the open top end 4 is closed, illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9.

[0015] The container 3 presents a bottom end face 7, a front face 8, a rear face 9 and two flank faces 10. The free top edges 8a and 10a of the front face 8 and the flank faces 10 combine to establish a free top edge 3a of the container 3, coinciding thus with the aforementioned open top end 4 which is directed toward the lid 5.

[0016] In like manner, the lid 5 presents a front face 11, a rear face 12, two flank faces 13, and a top end face 14.

[0017] The front face 8 of the container 3 and the front face 11 of the lid 5 make up the front face 2a of the packet 2, whilst the flank faces 10 of the container and the flank faces 13 of the lid make up the flank faces 2b of the packet 2.

[0018] The front face 11 and the flank faces 13 of the lid present respective free edges 11a and 13a combining to establish the bottom edge 5a of the lid 5 and coinciding thus with an open bottom end, which is directed toward the container 3 when the lid 5 occupies the closed position.

[0019] In the closed position, the meeting edges 3a and 5a of the container 3 and the lid 5 establish a line of closure 15 on the packet 2.

[0020] The single packet 2 contains an inner wrapper 16 enveloping a group of cigarettes (not illustrated) and presents a stiffening frame 17 interposed between the rigid material of the packet 2 and the inner wrapper 16, which is anchored to the container 3 and comprises a portion 17a positioned internally of the container 3 and a portion 17b projecting from the container through the open top end 4.

[0021] More precisely, the frame 17 presents a breast piece 18 secured in part to the front face 8 of the container 3, on the inside, and two side pieces 19 secured in part to the flank faces 10 of the container 3, on the inside.

[0022] The breast piece 18 of the frame 17 terminates uppermost in an edge 20 of “U” profile disposed with the concave outline directed toward the lid 5.

[0023] In the examples of FIGS. 1 to 10 showing the packet 2 in the closed condition, that is to say with the bottom free edge 5a of the lid 5 engaging the free top edge 3a of the container 3, the two meeting edges combine to establish the aforementioned closure line 15, which describes a path deviating from a path parallel to the aforementioned hinge line 6.

[0024] In the case of FIG. 1, more exactly, the closure line 15 describes an arcuate path across the front face 2a, of which the concave outline is directed toward the bottom end face 7, and two arcuate extremities on the flank faces 2b each with the concave outline directed toward the top end face 14.

[0025] In the case of FIG. 3 the closure line 15 describes an arcuate path with the concave outline directed toward the top end face 14, both on the front face 2a and on the flank faces 2b.

[0026] In the examples of 5, 7 and 9, finally, the closure line 15 describes an undulating path that can extend across both the front face 2a and the flank faces 2b of the packet 2, as illustrated in FIG. 5, or the front face 2a only as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9.

[0027] It will be clear that the closure lines 15 shown in the accompanying drawings are illustrated by way of example only, and that in practice the lines 15 might describe any given path deviating at least in part from a path parallel to the hinge line 6 along which the lid 5 and the container 3 are joined.

[0028] According to the present invention, the single packet 2 presents a highlighted area 21 occupying at least one part of the closure line 15 and serving to accentuate the selfsame line 15.

[0029] In the examples of FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6 the highlighted area 21 extends along the full length of the closure line 15, whilst in the examples of FIGS. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 10 the highlighted area 21 extends along only a part of the closure line 15.

[0030] The highlighted area 21 is presented by the lid 5 in all of the embodiments illustrated, and might be printed, as in the examples of FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Alternatively, the highlighted area 21 might be produced by means of a reeding or embossing operation as in the example of FIGS. 5 and 6. Finally, the highlighted area 21 might be produced by applying a layer 22 of a substance having a high coefficient of friction, such as paint, lacquer or the like, as in the examples of FIGS. 7 to 10.

[0031] To this end, it is important to observe that in the case of the examples illustrated both in FIGS. 5 and 6 and in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10, the respective highlighted areas 21 afford a roughened surface intended both to render the closure 15 more readily identifiable and to facilitate the operation of easing the lid 5 away from the container 3.

[0032] Moreover, it should be specified that the highlighted areas 21 obtained by embossing in the example of FIGS. 5 and 6, or by the application of material in the examples of FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10, can be produced in combination with and/or in addition to a printing operation.

[0033] As illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 11 and 12, all of the packs 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 10 can be fashioned with bevelled longitudinal corner edges 23 (FIG. 11) or with rounded longitudinal corner edges 24 (FIG. 12).

[0034] Similarly, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, the packs 1 can be embodied as cartons 25 serving to contain a plurality of packets 2. The carton 25 will exhibit the same characteristics as described for the packets of FIGS. 1 to 12, including the possibility of incorporating bevelled or rounded longitudinal corner edges.

[0035] The packs 1 or 25 might be fashioned adopting any one of the geometries described in Italian patent applications B099A 000029 filed Jan. 21, 1999, B02000A 000343 filed Jul. 7, 2000, BO2000A 000367 filed Jun. 23, 2000 or BO2000A 000676 filed Nov. 20, 2000, or any other given geometry.