[0001] The invention relates to a package of tobacco-related articles.
[0002] 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.
[0003] 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 package. 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.
[0004] 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 (remote from the major side). The label comprises two layers (plus adhesive),
wherein the inner layer includes a major portion 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 material underneath the gripping tab, which facilitates
the handling of the tab. The manufacture of the lamella involves some expenditure,
however.
[0005] The object of the invention is to improve the label used for a re-sealable access
aperture in packages of tobacco-related articles comprising a sealed enclosure.
[0006] This object is achieved by the package of tobacco-related articles defined in claim
1. Advantageous versions of the invention follow from the dependent claims.
[0007] The package of tobacco-related articles according to the invention comprises a sealed
enclosure comprising flexible barrier 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.
[0008] An access opening extends over part of the front wall and optionally 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 enclosure.
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.
[0009] The flap comprises a label having adhesive edge zones adapted to seal the flap when
the flap covers the access opening. According to the invention, the portion of the
label extending at the front wall of the enclosure has a length of at least 65% of
the length of the front wall, wherein the length of the 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%, 85%, 90% or 95% of the length of the front
wall.
[0010] 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 flexible.
[0011] Generally, the label can be designed in multiple ways. For example, the label may
be blank, it may be printed with decorative 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 design elements of the label are conceivable
as well.
[0012] In advantageous embodiments of the invention, the flap comprises 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 opening is significantly smaller than the label, it may be advantageous
if part of the adhesive at the bottom side of the label 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.
[0013] 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 enclosure, 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 material 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.
[0014] 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.
[0015] To stabilize the package, an inner frame can be provided between the charge of tobacco-related
articles and the enclosure. The inner frame, e.g. made of cardboard, has a shape so
that it does not obstruct the area of the access opening. Generally, 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.
[0016] 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. freshness of
its contents, and an outer shell, e.g. rigidity and larger carrier for information
and brand names.
[0017] 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 provided 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 relatively large hinged lid. In typical use
of the shoulder pack, the front wall of the enclosure points upwardly.
[0018] In a different embodiment, the outer shell is designed as a hinge lid pack comprising
a body and a lid, which is swivelable 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.
[0019] 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 permitting
access to the interior of the enclosure.
[0020] 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 effect, 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 enclosure 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 itself 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.
[0021] 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 label 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 shoulder pack, i.e. in part (a) with the lid of the
shoulder pack being closed, in part (b) with the lid being opened and the re-sealable
flap of the enclosure being closed, and in part (c) with the lid being opened and
the re-sealable flap being opened.
[0022] 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.
[0023] 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 lateral
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.
[0024] An access opening permits access to the interior of the enclosure 2. In the embodiment
of Figure 1, the access opening extends 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 embodiment 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 contrast to Figure 1.
[0025] In the embodiments, the access opening, designated by reference 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 enclosure 2. To the outside of this layer 16, a flexible,
adhesive label 18 (see also Figure 1) is glued by means of an adhesive covering most
of the area of the inner face of the label 18. In this way, the flap (designated by
20) is formed.
[0026] 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.
[0027] 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 contents of the enclosure 2, i.e. cigarettes 30,
can be conveniently 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.
[0028] 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).
[0029] Moreover, an inner frame made of cardboard may be arranged between 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 facilitate
the re-sealing of the flap 20 by slightly pressing against its edge zones, in particular
after part of the cigarettes 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.
[0030] The label 18 is made as an adhesive label from a material different from the barrier
sheet material. The area of the gripping 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 information carrier or marker, which can be prepared in a process independent
of the manufacture and preparation of the barrier 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 conveniently taken out of the package.
[0031] Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a package 40, in which the enclosure 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.
[0032] The outer shell 42 includes a body 44 comprising four walls 46, which are relatively
low and surround a bottom (not visible in Figure 2). Access to the body 44 is provided
via a major 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.
[0033] Figures 2(b) and 2(c) illustrate how the enclosure 2 is positioned 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.
[0034] 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.
[0035] 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 generally known in the art. In these cases, the
re-sealable enclosure can be similar to the enclosure 2 of Figures 1 and 2, but the
proportions of the enclosure may be different.
1. 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 bottom 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 adhesive 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) 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), 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).
2. 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 adhesive edge zones (22) of the label extend beyond the
cut edges of said layer (16).
4. Package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the flap (20) comprises a gripping tab (26) located at the front wall (4) of the
enclosure (2).
5. 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).
6. Package according to claim 5, characterised in that the gripping tab (26) is non-adhesive.
7. Package according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that an inner frame, preferably comprising cardboard, 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).
8. 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).
9. 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 enclosure (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 located 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 enclosure, and wherein the enclosure (2) is slidably moveable with respect
to the outer shell from the closing position 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, characterised in that the flap (20) comprises a self-sticking area comprising a sticking means facing outwardly.