Wrapping provided with an inside coupon

A wrapping is formed around at least one pack by wrapping film, and the pack has a receiving face against which a coupon is placed. The coupon is also positioned against an inner surface of the film between the pack and the film. Opening of the wrapping film is achieved by a tear strip which separates the film into two portions and which is situated, before tearing, disposed between the coupon and the film. The wrapping is characterized in that the coupon is fixed locally against the inner face of the film in such a way that, after opening of the film by the tear strip, the coupon remains attached to a single one of the first portion of the film, the second portion of film and the tear strip of the film.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wrapping provided with a coupon on at least one of its inside faces.

Wrappings, especially but not exclusively cigarette packs, are found provided on one face with a coupon which can be opened in order to be read, said coupon bearing publicity indications, directions for use, indications for a contest, or any other appropriate indications.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,935 describes a pack of cigarettes provided with such a coupon disposed under the outside transparent film covering the pack of cigarettes. A drawback of the means proposed is that it is not possible to open the pack of cigarettes and the coupon simultaneously.

Application EP-A-0 803 450 also describes a pack of cigarettes provided with a tax coupon under the outside transparent film. The coupon is attached to the surface of the web of film, which will be situated against the pack of cigarettes. The tear tape simultaneously permits opening of the transparent film and tearing of the tax coupon. Note that in this case, the tax coupon is not intended to be read after opening of the pack.

Application EP-A-0 960 831 concerns a pack of cigarettes which, covered with a transparent outer film, is provided with a coupon able to be opened upon opening said outer film. This recent solution has a drawback when one wishes to protect the coupon completely or to prevent access to this coupon before opening of the film.

This solution also has another drawback. Since the coupon is situated on the outside of the pack covered with film, this coupon has edges that can form as many abutments capable of impeding or hampering the displacements of said pack when it is supposed to be displaced and when its face, provided with the coupon, has to slide against the guide surfaces.

In fact, packs frequently have to be displaced in an installation for regrouping packs into lots, particularly with a view to packaging of lots of these packs.

Manufacturers of cigarettes wish to return to the old solution in which the coupon is placed inside the film without this return to said old solution being accompanied by known drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the invention is therefore to propose a wrapping of one or of a plurality of packs or of objects, provided on at least one of its inside faces with a coupon which may be easily extracted from the wrapping.

Another object of the invention is to propose a wrapping, the opening of which by means of a tear strip simultaneously causes the opening of a coupon placed in this wrapping.

To achieve this object, the invention has as its subject matter a wrapping formed around at least one pack by means of a wrapping film, said pack having at least one face, referred to as receiving face, against which a coupon is placed having two external opposite faces which are:a first external face, placed against the receiving face of the pack, anda second external face, attached against a surface of the film which, referred to as inner surface, is itself situated turned toward the pack,

the opening of the wrapping film being achieved by means of a tear strip which separates the film into two portions, which are a first portion and a second portion, and which is situated, before tearing, disposed between the coupon and the film,

this wrapping being characterised in that the coupon is fixed locally against the inner face of the film in such a way that, after opening of said film by means of the tear strip, said coupon remains at least partly attached to a single one of said first portion of the film, second portion of the film and tear strip of said film.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the figures and the following description relate to a pack of cigarettes, the concepts of pack and of wrapping must be extended to any type of wrapping of any product on which a coupon can be disposed according to one or the other of the ways described.

The shape of the wrapping need also not be that of a parallelepiped as shown, but may be of a different shape, e.g., circular cylindrical.

InFIGS. 1 to 3, there is a pack of cigarettes1, e.g., of the stiff type, covered with a wrapping film2, said film2, which is, for example, made of transparent material such as cellophane, polypropylene, or any other material customarily used for this purpose. Although a stiff pack has been illustrated, it will be readily appreciated that the invention may be practiced using well know soft packs also. The nature of the pack is not critical to the practice of the invention.

The wrapping film2could also be made of an opaque material, for example, a printed opaque material.

As can be seen in the drawing, the pack1has at least one face10, referred to as receiving face10, against which a coupon3is placed, and the film2covers said pack1and said coupon3.

The coupon3is a flat element, particularly but not exclusively a flat element of paper, which is intended to be placed between the film2and the said receiving face10of the pack1.

When the coupon3is placed between the film2and the receiving face10of the pack1, it shows two external opposite faces30,31referred to as first and second external faces30,31.

The first external face30is placed against the receiving face10of the pack1and the second external face31is attached against a surface of the film2which, referred to as inner surface20, is itself situated turned toward the pack1.

The coupon3can be made up of a single sheet, and this single sheet can be folded or unfolded.

The coupon3can also be made up of two or more sheets, which can be folded or not.

When the film2is made of transparent material, the said second external face31of the coupon3appears through the film2(FIGS. 1et2).

The said second external face31of the coupon3is visible and may advantageously bear a logo, a publicity indication, or any other indication (not shown).

For opening the pack1, the film2is conventionally provided here with a tear tape or tear strip21which is placed on the said inside face20of the film2, and going around the side faces of the pack1, one end of the tear tape21being advantageously provided with a tear tongue (not shown).

The tear strip21separates the film2into two portions, a first portion200and a second portion201.

When the pack1is sold, certain information borne by the coupon3, such as information (not shown) located on the first external face30of this coupon3that is placed against the receiving face10of the pack1, are inaccessible.

Only opening of the film2makes possible access to said information borne by the coupon3.

As is shown, the coupon3is fixed against the face referred to as the inner face20of the film2that is provided with a tear strip21, in such a way that said tear strip21is situated between said coupon3and the film2.

These technical features make it possible for the coupon to be protected by the wrapping film2, and the coupon3does not have edges that can form as many abutments capable of impeding or hampering the displacements of the pack1when it has to be displaced and when its face20, provided with the coupon3, has to slide against guide surfaces of an installation (not shown).

Opening the film2by pulling on the tear strip21permits access to the coupon3.

In a noteworthy way, the coupon3is fixed locally against the inner face20of the film2in such a way that after opening of said film2by means of the tear strip21, said coupon3remains at least partly attached to one of said first portion200of the film2, second portion201of the film2and tear strip21of said film2.

In a noteworthy way, the coupon3is fixed locally against the inner face20of the film2by at least one first means of local attachment22selected from among the group of means comprising a point of adhesive, a line of adhesive, a welding point, a welding line, a crimping, the mechanical resistance of this means of local attachment22being adjusted such that it remains possible to separate the coupon3from the wrapping film2, without destroying said coupon3.

One skilled in the art will know how to adjust the mechanical resistance of said first means of local attachment22and/or how to provide a certain number of these means without further inventive step.

These technical features make it possible to ensure that the coupon3is not completely detached upon opening of the film2and thus does not escape from the person holding the pack without, however, hindering a possible separation of the coupon3and of the part of the wrapping film2that supports it.

These seemingly trivial features are in fact of particular importance because a coupon3, which is generally smaller than the receiving face10of the pack1, can easily escape from a person (not shown) who is holding the pack1and the tear strip21.

The tear strip21separates the film2into two portions, i.e. a first portion200which is separated from a first part100of the pack1after opening of the film2and a second portion201which remains on a second part101of the pack1after opening of said film2.

In a first noteworthy way, the coupon3is fixed locally against the inner face20of the film2in such a way that after opening of said film2by means of the tear strip21, said coupon3remains attached to one of said first and second portions200,201of said film2.

This technical feature facilitates access to the coupon3by ensuring that it does not escape from a person holding said pack1.

In a second noteworthy way, the coupon3is fixed locally against the inner face20of the film2in such a way that after opening of said film2by means of the tear strip21, the said coupon3remains attached to the first portion200of said film2which must be separated from the pack1to allow access to the contents (not shown) of the pack1by displacement of a lid102with which said pack1is provided.

The first part100of the pack1, freed of the film2, can thus be opened, and the coupon3itself can be examined by a person, e.g. the person who has opened the film2.

In a third noteworthy way, the coupon3is fixed locally against the inner face20of the film2in such a way that after opening of said film2by means of the tear strip21, said coupon3remains attached to said tear strip21.

As has been explained, it is possible for the coupon3to constitute a sheet, for example, having two external opposite faces30,31, referred to as first external face30and second external face31, but it also possible for it to be composed of a folded up and closed sheet, i.e. a leaf that needs to be cut locally in order to permit access to the information it contains.

InFIG. 3, the coupon3is formed by a leaf, folded about a folding line forming a fold zone32, a zone33of the coupon3, referred to as the closed zone33, opposite the said fold zone32being closed, e.g., by a closure means330, e.g., a spot or a line of glue, or by crimping, so as to keep the coupon closed before opening of the wrapping.

It is also possible, instead of a folded leaf, to have two leaves assembled along the folding line32, as well as along the said closed zone33.

Whatever the case, the coupon3comprises two opposite sectors34,35, referred to as first sector34and second sector35, of these a first sector34that is intended to be situated against the inner face20of the film2, and a second sector35that is intended to be situated against the receiving face10of the pack1.

In a noteworthy way,the said first sector34of the coupon3is provided with at least one line of weakened resistance36situated so as to separate the first sector34into two zones340,341, referred to as first zone340and second zone341,said first sector34of the coupon3is fixed against the inner surface20of the film2in such a way that the opening of the film2by means of the tear strip21causes the opening of the coupon3and at least one of the first and second zones340,341of this first sector34of the coupon3remains pinched between the receiving face10of the pack1and one of said first and second portions200,201of said film2.

Said first sector34of the coupon3is preferably fixed against the inner surface20of the film2in such a way that the opening of the film2by means of the tear strip21causes the opening of the coupon3, and said first zone340of this first sector34of the coupon3remains attached to said first portion200of said film2.

These technical features allow opening of the coupon to be achieved more or less simultaneously with the opening of the film2that covers the pack1while ensuring that a portion of the coupon3remains attached to a portion of the film2.

In a noteworthy way, the line of weakened resistance36of the coupon3is oriented substantially parallel to the tear strip21of the film2and is situated at a predetermined distance from this tear strip21in such a way as to ensure the simultaneous opening of the film2and of the coupon3.

One skilled in the art will know how to determine the aforementioned distance without further inventive step.

According to a preferred embodiment, the coupon3is disposed against the inner surface20of the film2in such a way that the tear strip21is substantially superimposed on the line of weakened resistance36of the coupon3, and said coupon3is fixed to said inner surface20of the film2on the one hand, at least at the place where said tear strip21and said line of weakened resistance36are superimposed, andon the other hand, in at least one other separate place, and this

in such a way that the opening of the film2by means of the tear strip21causes the opening of the coupon3and that, after opening of said film2, at least one of said first and second zones340,341of the coupon3remains pinched between the receiving face10of the pack1and one of said first and second portions200,201of said film2.

These technical features thus make it possible to ensure the opening of the wrapping film2and simultaneously the opening of the coupon3.