WO2016169774A1 - Package of tobacco-related articles - Google Patents
Package of tobacco-related articles Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2016169774A1 WO2016169774A1 PCT/EP2016/057595 EP2016057595W WO2016169774A1 WO 2016169774 A1 WO2016169774 A1 WO 2016169774A1 EP 2016057595 W EP2016057595 W EP 2016057595W WO 2016169774 A1 WO2016169774 A1 WO 2016169774A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- enclosure
- flap
- front wall
- wall
- label
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/07—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles
- B65D85/08—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular
- B65D85/10—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular for cigarettes
- B65D85/1036—Containers formed by erecting a rigid or semi-rigid blank
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/07—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles
- B65D85/08—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular
- B65D85/10—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular for cigarettes
- B65D85/1018—Container formed by a flexible material, i.e. soft-packages
- B65D85/1027—Opening devices
Definitions
- the invention relates to a package of tobacco-related arti ⁇ cles .
- WO 98/22368 A discloses a pack or package comprising a frame (including a major panel, two side wings, and an end flap) and a sealed enclosure made of flexible barrier sheet material, which wraps a smoking-article charge and the frame.
- the sealed seams of the enclosure at least partially overlay the frame.
- the enclosure can have a re-sealable access aperture.
- an access aperture in the sealed enclosure extends from a top side to a major side of the enclosure and can be closed by a relatively short re-sealable adhesive cover, which is foldable about a hinge line at an edge of the top side (remote from said major side) to permit access to the interior of the pack ⁇ age.
- Parts of the frame provide a counter-pressure when the cover is re-sealed.
- the pack can be inserted in an additional rigid outer pack.
- WO 00/01594 A discloses a lamella (tacky or adhesive label) for application to the barrier sheet material in the area of the access opening of the sealed enclosure of a pack similar to the packs explained before.
- a re-sealable flap having adhesive edges is formed, which is foldable about a hinge line located at an edge of the top side of the pack (re ⁇ mote from the major side) .
- the label comprises two layers (plus adhesive), wherein the inner layer includes a major por ⁇ tion and a non-adhesive minor portion separated from the major portion by a cut through the inner layer.
- the minor portion serves as a gripping tab, wherein the cut has the effect that the gripping tab somewhat lifts from the barrier sheet mate ⁇ rial underneath the gripping tab, which facilitates the han- dling of the tab.
- the manufacture of the lamella involves some expenditure, however.
- the object of the invention is to improve the label used for a re-sealable access aperture in packages of tobacco-related ar ⁇ ticles comprising a sealed enclosure.
- the package of tobacco-related articles comprises a sealed enclosure comprising flexible bar ⁇ rier sheet material, which wraps a charge of tobacco-related articles and forms a front wall, a rear wall, two lateral walls, a top wall and a bottom wall.
- the lateral walls may be flat, but other designs (e.g. roundish or with bevelled edge zones) are possible as well.
- the term "wall” is not to imply that these walls are rigid. Using this terminology (and irrespective of the actual orientation of the package) , the front wall has a larger area than the top wall.
- An access opening extends over part of the front wall and op ⁇ tionally additionally part of the top wall and is covered by a re-sealable flap which is foldable about a hinge line located at the top wall to permit access to the interior of the enclo ⁇ sure. If the access opening does not include an area at the top wall of the enclosure, the hinge line may be located at the front wall, close to or at the edge where the top wall is connected to the front wall.
- the flap comprises a label having adhesive edge zones adapted to seal the flap when the flap covers the access opening.
- the portion of the label extending at the front wall of the enclosure has a length of at least front wall is measured between the edges where the bottom wall and the top wall of the enclosure are connected to the front wall.
- the length of the label may exceed 65% of the length of the front wall, and may even exceed 70%, 75%, 80 90 ⁇ 6 or
- the portion of the label extending at the front wall of the enclosure has a large length, even if that is not required to cover a large access opening.
- a large label may be used as a striking marker or as a carrier for information. Since the label can be produced and, e.g., printed with information in a process independent of the preparation of the barrier sheet material, the overall manufacturing process gets more flexi ⁇ ble .
- the label can be designed in multiple ways.
- the label may be blank, it may be printed with decora ⁇ tive elements and/or information, it may be coloured or non- coloured, it may comprise straight or non-straight edges, etc.
- the label may be provided with punched holes or punched graphical elements. The latter will not deteriorate the sealing effect of the enclosure if such holes or punched elements overlay barrier sheet material of the enclosure after the label has been placed. Any combinations of different de ⁇ sign elements of the label are conceivable as well.
- the flap com ⁇ prises a layer which includes barrier sheet material cut from the barrier sheet material of the enclosure.
- This layer of the flap is covered by the label, and the adhesive edge zones of the label extend beyond the cut edges of this layer.
- the label can be provided with a bottom side which is completely covered with an adhesive, which forms the adhesive edge zones of the label and permits the label to be glued to the barrier sheet material layer of the flap in an easy manner. If the barrier sheet material layer of the flap which covers the access open ⁇ ing is significantly smaller than the label, it may be advan ⁇ tageous if part of the adhesive at the bottom side of the la- bel in the area outside of the access opening is missing or neutralised (e.g.
- the flap comprises a gripping tab located at the front wall of the enclosure.
- the gripping tab can be grasped by the user and facilitates the opening of the flap.
- the label in an area opposite to the hinge line of the flap, may be folded back about a fold line.
- the gripping tab is non-adhesive.
- the adhesive can be removed or neutralised or covered by, e.g., paper or some film material.
- the fold line defining the gripping tab can be a fold line at which the gripping tab is folded back by about 180°. Since the gripping tab will not stay in such a strongly folded state but will lift somewhat, it can be easily grasped in order to open the flap. To this end, a particular treatment of the label in the area of the fold line is generally not required so that the label can be manufactured at relatively low cost.
- an inner frame can be provided be ⁇ tween the charge of tobacco-related articles and the enclo ⁇ sure.
- the inner frame e.g. made of cardboard, has a shape so that it does not obstruct the area of the access opening. Gen- erally, it is not required that the inner frame encompasses the tobacco-related articles completely because the barrier sheet material has already some stiffness and the tobacco- related articles also contribute to stabilisation. Examples for an inner frame are well known in the art, e.g. from WO 98/22368 A or from WO 98/22367 A. Embodiments which do not use an inner frame are conceivable as well.
- the package according to the invention may further comprise an outer shell, which at least partially surrounds the enclosure.
- the outer shell e.g. made of cardboard
- the re-sealable flap of the enclosure has to be accessable from the outer shell or has to be made accessable, e.g. by opening a lid of the outer shell and/or by moving the enclosure relative to the outer shell.
- Such designs combine the advantages of a re-sealable enclosure, e.g. fresh ⁇ ness of its contents, and an outer shell, e.g. rigidity and larger carrier for information and brand names.
- the outer shell is designed as a shoulder pack comprising a body and a lid.
- the lid is swivelable about a hinge line located at a wall of the body. When the lid is closed, it covers a major face of the body.
- the wall of the enclosure defined as the front wall, i.e. the major wall pro ⁇ vided with the access aperture (or at least part thereof) is oriented towards the lid when the lid is closed.
- the re- sealable flap is easily accessable in a typical shoulder pack, which comprises a body having relatively low walls and a rela ⁇ tively large hinged lid.
- the front wall of the enclosure points upwardly.
- the outer shell is designed as a hinge lid pack comprising a body and a lid, which is swivel- able about a hinge line located at a wall of the body.
- the lid is adapted to cover a minor face of the body.
- the wall of the enclosure defined as the top wall is oriented towards the lid. When the lid is swivelled to an open state, a cutout in the body permits a better access to the flap of the enclosure.
- the top wall of the enclosure points upwardly.
- the package can also be designed as a so-called slide shell pack.
- a closing position the enclosure is at least partially surrounded by the outer shell so that the outer shell at least partially covers the access opening of the enclosure.
- the enclosure is slidably moveable with respect to the outer shell from the closing position to an access position, in which the re-sealable flap is accessable to be folded for per ⁇ mitting access to the interior of the enclosure. If the material of the flap is relatively stiff, the flap may tend to close by itself after it has been opened to get access to the contents of the package. To avoid this self-closing ef ⁇ fect, the flap can comprise, e.g.
- a self-sticking area comprising a sticking means facing outwardly.
- the self-sticking area can be used to stick or adhere the flap, in the opened state when the flap is bent or folded backwards, e.g. to a wall of the enclo ⁇ sure or to a wall of the outer shell, respectively. To close the flap again, it is easy to pull off the self-sticking area from its counterface.
- the sticking means of the self-sticking area can be provided in various ways, e.g. with a pressure- sensitive adhesive (which preferentially sticks better to it ⁇ self and to the material of the flap than to the material of the enclosure or outer shell, respectively, to avoid adhesive remainders at the wrong face), or with suction devices, etc.
- FIG. 1 a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of the package according to the invention, which is designed as a sealed (and re-sealable) enclosure, from the front side, a re-sealable flap comprising a long la- bel being closed, and
- Figure 2 three-dimensional views of another embodiment of the package according to the invention, wherein a sealed (and re-sealable) enclosure similar to that of Figure 1 is inserted in an outer shell designed as a shoul ⁇ der pack, i.e. in part (a) with the lid of the shoul ⁇ der pack being closed, in part (b) with the lid being opened and the re-sealable flap of the enclosure be ⁇ ing closed, and in part (c) with the lid being opened and the re-sealable flap being opened.
- a sealed (and re-sealable) enclosure similar to that of Figure 1 is inserted in an outer shell designed as a shoul ⁇ der pack, i.e. in part (a) with the lid of the shoul ⁇ der pack being closed, in part (b) with the lid being opened and the re-sealable flap of the enclosure be ⁇ ing closed, and in part (c) with the lid being opened and the re-sealable flap
- Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a package of tobacco- related articles, which is formed as a soft pack 1 comprising a sealed (and re-sealable) enclosure 2.
- the enclosure 2 is made of flexible barrier sheet material.
- barrier sheet material is well-known in the art. When sealed, it keeps the moisture and the aromas of the tobacco- related articles contained therein.
- the flexible barrier sheet material is arranged as a wrapping about a charge of cigarettes. This wrapping forms a front wall 4, a rear wall 5 (not directly visible in Figure 1), two lat ⁇ eral walls 6 (of which only one is directly visible in Figure 1), a top wall 8 and a bottom wall 9 (not directly visible in Figure 1) .
- the term “wall” is used instead of "side”, which does not have a special meaning, however, and does not imply any properties with respect to rigidity.
- the designation of the walls refers to the upright position of the enclosure 2 as shown in Figure 1, but does not include further implications. In other embodiments, the orientation may be different (see Figure 2) . In any case, however, the front wall 4 has a larger area than the top wall 8.
- the enclosure 2 is sealed, e.g. by means of heat-sealing, gluing, and/or friction or by other means known in the art, at seams 10. Figure 1 shows one of these seams.
- FIG. 1 An access opening permits access to the interior of the enclo ⁇ sure 2.
- the access opening ex ⁇ tends over part of the front wall 4 and part of the top wall 8 and can be covered by a re-sealable flap.
- This re-sealable flap is closed in the view shown in Figure 1.
- Figure 2 (c) an enclosure very similar to the enclosure 2 is used, which is shown in Figure 2 (c) with the re-sealable flap being opened so that the corresponding access opening can be seen.
- Figure 2 (c) Because of the similarity of the enclosures, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts in Figure 1 and in Figure 2, and Figure 2 (c) can be considered for reference purposes concerning the embodiment of Figure 1.
- the front wall 4 of the enclosure points upwardly, in con ⁇ trast to Figure 1.
- the access opening designated by refer ⁇ ence numeral 12
- the access opening is defined by a cutline made as a straight cut through the material of the enclosure 2 along three sides of the access opening 12, whereas the forth side of the access opening 12 is defined by a hinge line 14.
- a layer 16 of barrier sheet material is partially cut out from the en ⁇ closure 2.
- a flexible, adhe- sive label 18 (see also Figure 1) is glued by means of an ad ⁇ hesive covering most of the area of the inner face of the la ⁇ bel 18.
- the flap designated by 20 is formed.
- the area of the label 18 is greater than that of the layer 16 so that adhesive edge zones 22 are provided (see Figure 2 (c) ) .
- the label 18 is sharply bent backwards in order to form a gripping tab 26.
- the inner face 28 of the gripping tab 26 is not adhesive, which can be achieved, e.g., by removing the adhesive of the label 18 in this area or by covering it with a film material.
- a zone between the fold line 24 and the cut edge of the layer 16 is adhesive, however.
- Figure 2 (c) shows the enclosure 2 in a state when the flap 20 has been folded back to open the access opening 12.
- the con- tents of the enclosure 2, i.e. cigarettes 30, can be conven ⁇ iently removed.
- the flap 20 deflects from the enclosure 2 along the hinge line 14.
- the hinge line 14 does not have to be a precise line, but it roughly describes where the flap 20 starts to deflect from the enclosure 2.
- the adhesive in the edge zones 22 and the zone adjacent to the fold line 24 seals the enclosure 2.
- the flap 20 can be easily opened by pulling at the gripping tab 26 and deflecting the flap 20 to the position shown in Figure 2 (c) .
- an inner frame made of cardboard may be arranged be ⁇ tween the cigarettes 30 and the inner face of the enclosure 2.
- the inner frame partially surrounds the bundle of cigarettes 30 to provide some rigidity to the enclosure 2 and to facili ⁇ tate the re-sealing of the flap 20 by slightly pressing against its edge zones, in particular after part of the ciga ⁇ rettes 30 has been taken out of the enclosure 2.
- the inner frame is not visible because it is not present in the area of the access opening 12.
- the label 18 is made as an adhesive label from a material dif ⁇ ferent from the barrier sheet material.
- the area of the grip ⁇ ping tab 26 is not adhesive.
- the length of the label 18 (measured in a direction from the top wall 8 to the bottom wall 9) is almost as large as the length of the front wall 4.
- An advantage of the large area of the label 18 is the possibility of using this area as an in ⁇ formation carrier or marker, which can be prepared in a proc- ess independent of the manufacture and preparation of the bar ⁇ rier sheet material of the enclosure 2.
- the access opening might be significantly smaller than in the embodiment of Figure 2, although in both cases a long label 18 is used.
- a large label allows for a large access opening so that the cigarettes 30 can be conven ⁇ iently taken out of the package.
- Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a package 40, in which the en ⁇ closure 2 is inserted into an outer shell 42 designed as a shoulder pack.
- the front wall 4 of the enclosure 2 points upwardly.
- the outer shell 42 includes a body 44 comprising four walls 46, which are relatively low and surround a bottom (not visi ⁇ ble in Figure 2) . Access to the body 44 is provided via a ma ⁇ jor face 48.
- a lid 50 is swivelably connected, at a hinge line 52, to one of the walls 46. When the lid 50 is closed, a rim 54 (see Figure 2 (b) ) of the lid 50 rests at a step 56 provided at the body 44.
- Figures 2 (b) and 2 (c) illustrate how the enclosure 2 is posi ⁇ tioned in the body 44 of the outer shell 42.
- the details of the enclosure 2 have already been explained in the context of the embodiment according to Figure 1. If the lid 50 is open, see Figure 2(b), the gripping tab 26 can be easily grasped so that the flap 20 including the label 18 can be opened, see Figure 2 (c) .
- the large label 18 and the large access opening 12 permit a convenient access to the cigarettes 30.
- the flap 20 is closed and re-sealed by gentle pressure to its peripheral zone.
- the access opening 12 of the enclosure 2 extends from the front wall 4 into the top wall 8 of the enclosure 2.
- the top wall 8 faces the wall 46 of the body 44 including the hinge line 52.
- the hinge line 14 of the flap 20 is at the edge between front wall 4 and top wall 8. In that case, it would be advantageous if the label 18 extends up onto the top wall 8 of the enclosure 2 in order to ensure a tight re-sealing of the flap 20.
- the outer shell may be provided in many further forms, e.g. as a hinge lid pack or as part of a slide shell pack, as gener ⁇ ally known in the art.
- the re-sealable enclo ⁇ sure can be similar to the enclosure 2 of Figures 1 and 2, but the proportions of the enclosure may be different.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
- Cartons (AREA)
Abstract
A package (40) of tobacco-related articles comprises a sealed enclosure (2) comprising flexible barrier sheet material wrapping a charge of tobacco-related articles (30) and forming a front wall (4), a rear wall, two lateral walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, the front wall (4) having a larger area than the top wall. An access opening (12) extends over part of the front wall (4)and optionally part of the top wall and is covered by a resealable flap (20) which is foldable about a hinge line located at or close to the top wall to permit access to the interior of the package. The flap (20) comprises a label (18) having adhesive edge zones (22) adapted to seal the flap (20) when the flap covers the access opening (12). The portion of the label (18) extending at the front wall (4) of the enclosure(2) has a length of at least 65% of the length of the front wall (4).
Description
Package of tobacco-related articles
The invention relates to a package of tobacco-related arti¬ cles .
WO 98/22368 A discloses a pack or package comprising a frame (including a major panel, two side wings, and an end flap) and a sealed enclosure made of flexible barrier sheet material, which wraps a smoking-article charge and the frame. The sealed seams of the enclosure at least partially overlay the frame. The enclosure can have a re-sealable access aperture.
A similar pack is known from WO 98/22367 A. In this case, an access aperture in the sealed enclosure extends from a top side to a major side of the enclosure and can be closed by a relatively short re-sealable adhesive cover, which is foldable about a hinge line at an edge of the top side (remote from said major side) to permit access to the interior of the pack¬ age. Parts of the frame provide a counter-pressure when the cover is re-sealed. The pack can be inserted in an additional rigid outer pack.
WO 00/01594 A discloses a lamella (tacky or adhesive label) for application to the barrier sheet material in the area of the access opening of the sealed enclosure of a pack similar to the packs explained before. In this way, a re-sealable flap having adhesive edges is formed, which is foldable about a hinge line located at an edge of the top side of the pack (re¬ mote from the major side) . The label comprises two layers (plus adhesive), wherein the inner layer includes a major por¬ tion and a non-adhesive minor portion separated from the major portion by a cut through the inner layer. The minor portion serves as a gripping tab, wherein the cut has the effect that the gripping tab somewhat lifts from the barrier sheet mate¬ rial underneath the gripping tab, which facilitates the han-
dling of the tab. The manufacture of the lamella involves some expenditure, however.
The object of the invention is to improve the label used for a re-sealable access aperture in packages of tobacco-related ar¬ ticles comprising a sealed enclosure.
This object is achieved by the package of tobacco-related ar¬ ticles defined in claim 1. Advantageous versions of the inven- tion follow from the dependent claims.
The package of tobacco-related articles according to the in¬ vention comprises a sealed enclosure comprising flexible bar¬ rier sheet material, which wraps a charge of tobacco-related articles and forms a front wall, a rear wall, two lateral walls, a top wall and a bottom wall. The lateral walls may be flat, but other designs (e.g. roundish or with bevelled edge zones) are possible as well. Moreover, the term "wall" is not to imply that these walls are rigid. Using this terminology (and irrespective of the actual orientation of the package) , the front wall has a larger area than the top wall.
An access opening extends over part of the front wall and op¬ tionally additionally part of the top wall and is covered by a re-sealable flap which is foldable about a hinge line located at the top wall to permit access to the interior of the enclo¬ sure. If the access opening does not include an area at the top wall of the enclosure, the hinge line may be located at the front wall, close to or at the edge where the top wall is connected to the front wall.
The flap comprises a label having adhesive edge zones adapted to seal the flap when the flap covers the access opening. Ac¬ cording to the invention, the portion of the label extending at the front wall of the enclosure has a length of at least
front wall is measured between the edges where the bottom wall and the top wall of the enclosure are connected to the front wall. The length of the label may exceed 65% of the length of the front wall, and may even exceed 70%, 75%, 80 90 ~6 or
95% of the length of the front wall.
Thus, the portion of the label extending at the front wall of the enclosure has a large length, even if that is not required to cover a large access opening. A large label may be used as a striking marker or as a carrier for information. Since the label can be produced and, e.g., printed with information in a process independent of the preparation of the barrier sheet material, the overall manufacturing process gets more flexi¬ ble .
Generally, the label can be designed in multiple ways. For ex¬ ample, the label may be blank, it may be printed with decora¬ tive elements and/or information, it may be coloured or non- coloured, it may comprise straight or non-straight edges, etc. Moreover, the label may be provided with punched holes or punched graphical elements. The latter will not deteriorate the sealing effect of the enclosure if such holes or punched elements overlay barrier sheet material of the enclosure after the label has been placed. Any combinations of different de¬ sign elements of the label are conceivable as well.
In advantageous embodiments of the invention, the flap com¬ prises a layer which includes barrier sheet material cut from the barrier sheet material of the enclosure. This layer of the flap is covered by the label, and the adhesive edge zones of the label extend beyond the cut edges of this layer. The label can be provided with a bottom side which is completely covered with an adhesive, which forms the adhesive edge zones of the label and permits the label to be glued to the barrier sheet
material layer of the flap in an easy manner. If the barrier sheet material layer of the flap which covers the access open¬ ing is significantly smaller than the label, it may be advan¬ tageous if part of the adhesive at the bottom side of the la- bel in the area outside of the access opening is missing or neutralised (e.g. removed, chemically treated, or covered) or if the adhesive in this area is weak. Otherwise, it might be too difficult to open the flap. Preferably, the flap comprises a gripping tab located at the front wall of the enclosure. The gripping tab can be grasped by the user and facilitates the opening of the flap. To form a gripping tab which is accessible at the front wall of the en¬ closure, the label, in an area opposite to the hinge line of the flap, may be folded back about a fold line. For sealing purposes, there can be an adhesive zone between the fold line of the gripping tab and the cut edge of the barrier sheet ma¬ terial layer of the flap close to this fold line. Preferably, the gripping tab is non-adhesive. In the area of the gripping tab, the adhesive can be removed or neutralised or covered by, e.g., paper or some film material.
The fold line defining the gripping tab can be a fold line at which the gripping tab is folded back by about 180°. Since the gripping tab will not stay in such a strongly folded state but will lift somewhat, it can be easily grasped in order to open the flap. To this end, a particular treatment of the label in the area of the fold line is generally not required so that the label can be manufactured at relatively low cost.
To stabilize the package, an inner frame can be provided be¬ tween the charge of tobacco-related articles and the enclo¬ sure. The inner frame, e.g. made of cardboard, has a shape so that it does not obstruct the area of the access opening. Gen- erally, it is not required that the inner frame encompasses
the tobacco-related articles completely because the barrier sheet material has already some stiffness and the tobacco- related articles also contribute to stabilisation. Examples for an inner frame are well known in the art, e.g. from WO 98/22368 A or from WO 98/22367 A. Embodiments which do not use an inner frame are conceivable as well.
The package according to the invention may further comprise an outer shell, which at least partially surrounds the enclosure. The outer shell, e.g. made of cardboard, can be designed in various ways. Generally, the re-sealable flap of the enclosure has to be accessable from the outer shell or has to be made accessable, e.g. by opening a lid of the outer shell and/or by moving the enclosure relative to the outer shell. Such designs combine the advantages of a re-sealable enclosure, e.g. fresh¬ ness of its contents, and an outer shell, e.g. rigidity and larger carrier for information and brand names.
In an embodiment, the outer shell is designed as a shoulder pack comprising a body and a lid. The lid is swivelable about a hinge line located at a wall of the body. When the lid is closed, it covers a major face of the body. The wall of the enclosure defined as the front wall, i.e. the major wall pro¬ vided with the access aperture (or at least part thereof) , is oriented towards the lid when the lid is closed. Thus, the re- sealable flap is easily accessable in a typical shoulder pack, which comprises a body having relatively low walls and a rela¬ tively large hinged lid. In typical use of the shoulder pack, the front wall of the enclosure points upwardly.
In a different embodiment, the outer shell is designed as a hinge lid pack comprising a body and a lid, which is swivel- able about a hinge line located at a wall of the body. In this case, the lid is adapted to cover a minor face of the body. The wall of the enclosure defined as the top wall is oriented
towards the lid. When the lid is swivelled to an open state, a cutout in the body permits a better access to the flap of the enclosure. In typical use of the hinge lid pack, the top wall of the enclosure points upwardly.
The package can also be designed as a so-called slide shell pack. In a closing position, the enclosure is at least partially surrounded by the outer shell so that the outer shell at least partially covers the access opening of the enclosure. The enclosure is slidably moveable with respect to the outer shell from the closing position to an access position, in which the re-sealable flap is accessable to be folded for per¬ mitting access to the interior of the enclosure. If the material of the flap is relatively stiff, the flap may tend to close by itself after it has been opened to get access to the contents of the package. To avoid this self-closing ef¬ fect, the flap can comprise, e.g. in a region remote from the hinge line of the flap, a self-sticking area comprising a sticking means facing outwardly. The self-sticking area can be used to stick or adhere the flap, in the opened state when the flap is bent or folded backwards, e.g. to a wall of the enclo¬ sure or to a wall of the outer shell, respectively. To close the flap again, it is easy to pull off the self-sticking area from its counterface. The sticking means of the self-sticking area can be provided in various ways, e.g. with a pressure- sensitive adhesive (which preferentially sticks better to it¬ self and to the material of the flap than to the material of the enclosure or outer shell, respectively, to avoid adhesive remainders at the wrong face), or with suction devices, etc.
In the following, the invention is further described by means of embodiments. The drawings show in
Figure 1 a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of the package according to the invention, which is designed as a sealed (and re-sealable) enclosure, from the front side, a re-sealable flap comprising a long la- bel being closed, and
Figure 2 three-dimensional views of another embodiment of the package according to the invention, wherein a sealed (and re-sealable) enclosure similar to that of Figure 1 is inserted in an outer shell designed as a shoul¬ der pack, i.e. in part (a) with the lid of the shoul¬ der pack being closed, in part (b) with the lid being opened and the re-sealable flap of the enclosure be¬ ing closed, and in part (c) with the lid being opened and the re-sealable flap being opened.
Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a package of tobacco- related articles, which is formed as a soft pack 1 comprising a sealed (and re-sealable) enclosure 2.
The enclosure 2 is made of flexible barrier sheet material. Such barrier sheet material is well-known in the art. When sealed, it keeps the moisture and the aromas of the tobacco- related articles contained therein. In the embodiment, the flexible barrier sheet material is arranged as a wrapping about a charge of cigarettes. This wrapping forms a front wall 4, a rear wall 5 (not directly visible in Figure 1), two lat¬ eral walls 6 (of which only one is directly visible in Figure 1), a top wall 8 and a bottom wall 9 (not directly visible in Figure 1) . In this context, the term "wall" is used instead of "side", which does not have a special meaning, however, and does not imply any properties with respect to rigidity. The designation of the walls refers to the upright position of the enclosure 2 as shown in Figure 1, but does not include further implications. In other embodiments, the orientation may be
different (see Figure 2) . In any case, however, the front wall 4 has a larger area than the top wall 8. The enclosure 2 is sealed, e.g. by means of heat-sealing, gluing, and/or friction or by other means known in the art, at seams 10. Figure 1 shows one of these seams.
An access opening permits access to the interior of the enclo¬ sure 2. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the access opening ex¬ tends over part of the front wall 4 and part of the top wall 8 and can be covered by a re-sealable flap. This re-sealable flap is closed in the view shown in Figure 1. In the embodi¬ ment illustrated by means of Figure 2, however, an enclosure very similar to the enclosure 2 is used, which is shown in Figure 2 (c) with the re-sealable flap being opened so that the corresponding access opening can be seen. Because of the similarity of the enclosures, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts in Figure 1 and in Figure 2, and Figure 2 (c) can be considered for reference purposes concerning the embodiment of Figure 1. It is to be noted that, in Figure 2, the front wall 4 of the enclosure points upwardly, in con¬ trast to Figure 1.
In the embodiments, the access opening, designated by refer¬ ence numeral 12, is defined by a cutline made as a straight cut through the material of the enclosure 2 along three sides of the access opening 12, whereas the forth side of the access opening 12 is defined by a hinge line 14. In this way, a layer 16 of barrier sheet material is partially cut out from the en¬ closure 2. To the outside of this layer 16, a flexible, adhe- sive label 18 (see also Figure 1) is glued by means of an ad¬ hesive covering most of the area of the inner face of the la¬ bel 18. In this way, the flap (designated by 20) is formed.
The area of the label 18 is greater than that of the layer 16 so that adhesive edge zones 22 are provided (see Figure 2 (c) ) .
At a fold line 24, the label 18 is sharply bent backwards in order to form a gripping tab 26. The inner face 28 of the gripping tab 26 is not adhesive, which can be achieved, e.g., by removing the adhesive of the label 18 in this area or by covering it with a film material. A zone between the fold line 24 and the cut edge of the layer 16 is adhesive, however.
Figure 2 (c) shows the enclosure 2 in a state when the flap 20 has been folded back to open the access opening 12. The con- tents of the enclosure 2, i.e. cigarettes 30, can be conven¬ iently removed. The flap 20 deflects from the enclosure 2 along the hinge line 14. The hinge line 14 does not have to be a precise line, but it roughly describes where the flap 20 starts to deflect from the enclosure 2.
When the flap 20 is closed, the adhesive in the edge zones 22 and the zone adjacent to the fold line 24 seals the enclosure 2. The flap 20 can be easily opened by pulling at the gripping tab 26 and deflecting the flap 20 to the position shown in Figure 2 (c) .
Moreover, an inner frame made of cardboard may be arranged be¬ tween the cigarettes 30 and the inner face of the enclosure 2. The inner frame partially surrounds the bundle of cigarettes 30 to provide some rigidity to the enclosure 2 and to facili¬ tate the re-sealing of the flap 20 by slightly pressing against its edge zones, in particular after part of the ciga¬ rettes 30 has been taken out of the enclosure 2. In Figure 2 (c) , the inner frame is not visible because it is not present in the area of the access opening 12.
The label 18 is made as an adhesive label from a material dif¬ ferent from the barrier sheet material. The area of the grip¬ ping tab 26 is not adhesive. As seen in Figure 1 and in Figure 2, the length of the label 18 (measured in a direction from
the top wall 8 to the bottom wall 9) is almost as large as the length of the front wall 4. An advantage of the large area of the label 18 is the possibility of using this area as an in¬ formation carrier or marker, which can be prepared in a proc- ess independent of the manufacture and preparation of the bar¬ rier sheet material of the enclosure 2. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the access opening might be significantly smaller than in the embodiment of Figure 2, although in both cases a long label 18 is used. In any case, a large label allows for a large access opening so that the cigarettes 30 can be conven¬ iently taken out of the package.
Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a package 40, in which the en¬ closure 2 is inserted into an outer shell 42 designed as a shoulder pack. In the orientation of Figure 2, which corresponds to normal use, the front wall 4 of the enclosure 2 points upwardly.
The outer shell 42 includes a body 44 comprising four walls 46, which are relatively low and surround a bottom (not visi¬ ble in Figure 2) . Access to the body 44 is provided via a ma¬ jor face 48. A lid 50 is swivelably connected, at a hinge line 52, to one of the walls 46. When the lid 50 is closed, a rim 54 (see Figure 2 (b) ) of the lid 50 rests at a step 56 provided at the body 44.
Figures 2 (b) and 2 (c) illustrate how the enclosure 2 is posi¬ tioned in the body 44 of the outer shell 42. The details of the enclosure 2 have already been explained in the context of the embodiment according to Figure 1. If the lid 50 is open, see Figure 2(b), the gripping tab 26 can be easily grasped so that the flap 20 including the label 18 can be opened, see Figure 2 (c) . The large label 18 and the large access opening 12 permit a convenient access to the cigarettes 30. Before the
lid 50 is closed again, the flap 20 is closed and re-sealed by gentle pressure to its peripheral zone.
As can be seen in Figure 2 (c) , the access opening 12 of the enclosure 2 extends from the front wall 4 into the top wall 8 of the enclosure 2. In the terminology used, the top wall 8 faces the wall 46 of the body 44 including the hinge line 52. In a variant of the embodiment, the hinge line 14 of the flap 20 is at the edge between front wall 4 and top wall 8. In that case, it would be advantageous if the label 18 extends up onto the top wall 8 of the enclosure 2 in order to ensure a tight re-sealing of the flap 20.
The outer shell may be provided in many further forms, e.g. as a hinge lid pack or as part of a slide shell pack, as gener¬ ally known in the art. In these cases, the re-sealable enclo¬ sure can be similar to the enclosure 2 of Figures 1 and 2, but the proportions of the enclosure may be different.
Claims
Package of tobacco-related articles,
- comprising a sealed enclosure (2) comprising flexible barrier sheet material wrapping a charge of tobacco- related articles (30) and forming a front wall (4), a rear wall (5), two lateral walls (6), a top wall (8) and a bot¬ tom wall (9), the front wall (4) having a larger area than the top wall ( 8 ) ,
- wherein an access opening (12) extending over part of the front wall (4) and optionally part of the top wall (8) is covered by a re-sealable flap (20) which is foldable about a hinge line (14) located at or close to the top wall (8) to permit access to the interior of the enclosure (2 ) , and
- wherein the flap (20) comprises a label (18) having ad¬ hesive edge zones (22) adapted to seal the flap (20) when the flap covers the access opening (12),
- characterised in that the portion of the label (18) ex¬ tending at the front wall (4) of the enclosure (2) has a length of at least 65% of the length of the front wall (4), wherein the length of the front wall (4) is measured between the edges where the bottom wall (9) and the top wall (8) of the enclosure (2) are connected to the front wall (4) .
Package according to claim 1, characterised in that the length of the portion of the label (18) extending at the front wall (4) of the enclosure (2), related to the length of the front wall (4), is greater than at least one of the values selected from the following list: 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%.
3. Package of tobacco-related articles according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the flap (20) comprises a
layer (16) which includes barrier sheet material cut from the barrier sheet material of the enclosure (2), wherein said layer (16) is covered by the label (18) and the adhe¬ sive edge zones (22) of the label extend beyond the cut edges of said layer (16) .
Package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, character¬ ised in that the flap (20) comprises a gripping tab (26) located at the front wall (4) of the enclosure (2) .
Package according to claim 4, characterised in that the label (18), in an area opposite to the hinge line (14) of the flap (20), is folded back about a fold line (24) and forms a gripping tab (26), which is accessible at the front wall (4) of the enclosure (2) .
Package according to claim 5, characterised in that the gripping tab (26) is non-adhesive.
Package according to any one of claims 1 to 6, character¬ ised in that an inner frame, preferably comprising card¬ board, is provided between the charge of tobacco-related articles (30) and the enclosure (2), the inner frame not obstructing the area of the access opening (12) .
Package according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised by further comprising an outer shell (42), which at least partially surrounds the enclosure (2) .
Package according to claim 8, characterised in that the outer shell (42) is designed as a shoulder pack comprising a body (44) and a lid (50), which is swivelable about a hinge line (52) located at a wall (46) of the body (44) and adapted to cover a major face (48) of the body (44), wherein, by definition, the front wall (4) of the enclo-
sure (2) is oriented towards the lid (50) when the lid (50) is closed.
10. Package according to claim 8, characterised in that the outer shell is designed as a hinge lid pack comprising a body and a lid, which is swivelable about a hinge line lo¬ cated at a wall of the body and adapted to cover a minor face of the body, wherein, by definition, the top wall of the enclosure (2) is oriented towards the lid, and wherein a cutout in the body permits access to the flap (20) of the enclosure (2) when the lid is swivelled to an open state .
11. Package according to claim 8, characterised in that, in a closing position, the enclosure (2) is at least partially surrounded by the outer shell so that the outer shell at least partially covers the access opening (12) of the en¬ closure, and wherein the enclosure (2) is slidably move¬ able with respect to the outer shell from the closing po¬ sition to an access position, in which the re-sealable flap (20) is accessable to be folded for permitting access to the interior of the enclosure (2) .
12. Package according to any one of claims 1 to 11, character¬ ised in that the flap (20) comprises a self-sticking area comprising a sticking means facing outwardly.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US15/568,246 US20180118445A1 (en) | 2015-04-20 | 2016-04-07 | Package of tobacco-related articles |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP15164297.2 | 2015-04-20 | ||
EP15164297.2A EP3085640B1 (en) | 2015-04-20 | 2015-04-20 | Package of tobacco-related articles |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2016169774A1 true WO2016169774A1 (en) | 2016-10-27 |
Family
ID=52991582
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2016/057595 WO2016169774A1 (en) | 2015-04-20 | 2016-04-07 | Package of tobacco-related articles |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20180118445A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3085640B1 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2666823T3 (en) |
PL (1) | PL3085640T3 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2016169774A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102019002635A1 (en) * | 2019-04-10 | 2020-10-15 | Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co. Kg) | Cap box type pack |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10450120B1 (en) | 2018-11-16 | 2019-10-22 | Altria Client Services Llc | Re-seal label and container with re-seal label |
USD963240S1 (en) * | 2022-04-07 | 2022-09-06 | Hanwu Ma | Cigar box |
USD963241S1 (en) * | 2022-04-07 | 2022-09-06 | Hanwu Ma | Cigar box |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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GB425671A (en) * | 1934-08-29 | 1935-03-19 | Andres Segundo Nucci | Improvements relating to drawer and shell containers |
GB461794A (en) * | 1935-12-06 | 1937-02-24 | Brinkmann Ag M | Improvements in and relating to packages for cigarettes |
GB530316A (en) * | 1939-06-07 | 1940-12-10 | Haus Bergmann Zigarettenfabrik | Improvements in and connected with cigarette cartons or packages |
EP0134549B1 (en) * | 1983-08-16 | 1988-07-20 | Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.) | Cigarette package provided with a hinged lid |
WO1998022368A1 (en) | 1996-11-21 | 1998-05-28 | Rothmans International Services Limited | Packaging of smoking articles |
WO1998022367A1 (en) | 1996-11-21 | 1998-05-28 | Rothmans International Services Limited | Packaging for smoking articles |
WO2000001594A1 (en) | 1998-07-03 | 2000-01-13 | British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited | Label for resealing a pack of smoking articles |
WO2013120916A1 (en) * | 2012-02-15 | 2013-08-22 | Philip Morris Products S.A. | Resealable container having tactile elements |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US1192707A (en) * | 1916-05-26 | 1916-07-25 | Rothchild F Thorndike | Cigarette-box. |
US3858788A (en) * | 1973-06-06 | 1975-01-07 | Reynolds Tobacco Co R | Composite dispensing package |
US7124883B1 (en) * | 2001-12-13 | 2006-10-24 | Timothy Frederick Thomas | Dual-lid cigarette container and method of packaging cigarettes |
US7014039B2 (en) * | 2003-06-19 | 2006-03-21 | R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company | Sliding shell package for smoking articles |
EP2516293B1 (en) * | 2009-12-22 | 2015-08-26 | Philip Morris Products S.A. | Wrapped container with adhesive label |
-
2015
- 2015-04-20 EP EP15164297.2A patent/EP3085640B1/en active Active
- 2015-04-20 PL PL15164297T patent/PL3085640T3/en unknown
- 2015-04-20 ES ES15164297.2T patent/ES2666823T3/en active Active
-
2016
- 2016-04-07 US US15/568,246 patent/US20180118445A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2016-04-07 WO PCT/EP2016/057595 patent/WO2016169774A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB425671A (en) * | 1934-08-29 | 1935-03-19 | Andres Segundo Nucci | Improvements relating to drawer and shell containers |
GB461794A (en) * | 1935-12-06 | 1937-02-24 | Brinkmann Ag M | Improvements in and relating to packages for cigarettes |
GB530316A (en) * | 1939-06-07 | 1940-12-10 | Haus Bergmann Zigarettenfabrik | Improvements in and connected with cigarette cartons or packages |
EP0134549B1 (en) * | 1983-08-16 | 1988-07-20 | Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.) | Cigarette package provided with a hinged lid |
WO1998022368A1 (en) | 1996-11-21 | 1998-05-28 | Rothmans International Services Limited | Packaging of smoking articles |
WO1998022367A1 (en) | 1996-11-21 | 1998-05-28 | Rothmans International Services Limited | Packaging for smoking articles |
WO2000001594A1 (en) | 1998-07-03 | 2000-01-13 | British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited | Label for resealing a pack of smoking articles |
WO2013120916A1 (en) * | 2012-02-15 | 2013-08-22 | Philip Morris Products S.A. | Resealable container having tactile elements |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102019002635A1 (en) * | 2019-04-10 | 2020-10-15 | Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co. Kg) | Cap box type pack |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ES2666823T3 (en) | 2018-05-08 |
PL3085640T3 (en) | 2018-09-28 |
EP3085640B1 (en) | 2018-02-14 |
US20180118445A1 (en) | 2018-05-03 |
EP3085640A1 (en) | 2016-10-26 |
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