Patent Publication Number: US-6669015-B2

Title: Packet of cigarettes and relative production method

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of international application PCT/IT01/00073, filed Feb. 16, 2001, pending. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a packet of, cigarettes. 
     In particular, the present invention relates to a parallelepiped-shaped packet of cigarettes comprising an outer package normally formed by folding sheet material, and an inner wrapping of foil or paper wrapped about a group of cigarettes. 
     Here and hereinafter, the term “outer package” is used to indicate an outer wrapping normally formed from a sheet of paper or from a blank of cardboard or similar; or an overwrapping formed from a sheet of transparent material; or the above outer wrapping and overwrapping combined. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Patent EP 317,202 discloses a novel tear strip or sealing strip for a package of cigarettes; the tear strip or sealing strip comprises a plastic film substrate upon which a magnetizable metal oxide coating has been deposited. The coated strip may be adhered to the package or the flexible wrapping material for the package or container, optionally, the strip may be coated with a pigment or metallized or printed with graphic indicia or any combination of these features. Information may be recorded on the magnetic coating during packaging and handling for subsequent readout. 
     In other words, patent EP 317,202 discloses a packet provided with a portion of magnetic tape visible from the outside, and on which is recorded data unequivocally identifying the packet; the portion of magnetic tape constitutes for the packet, among other things, a certificate of origin making any attempt to counterfeit the packet extremely complicated and expensive. 
     To produce such a packet, packing machines are provided with a line for supplying a prerecorded magnetic tape, from which portions containing the data relative to the packets are cut off successively. 
     Together with the data recorded on the respective portion of magnetic tape, it is often desirable to also provide each packet with data of interest, not so much to the maker or retailer, as to the consumer, such as the date of manufacture and, more importantly, a possible sell-by date. 
     Obviously, consumer-directed data cannot be recorded magnetically on the magnetic tape, by requiring special reading devices for it to be read; and neither can it be prerecorded, since information such as the sell-by date of the packet can only be applied to the packet when it is actually produced. 
     Patent EP 317,303 discloses to optionally printing the tear/sealing strip with graphic indicia; however, the dimensions and the location of the tear/-sealing strip does not allow giving to the consumer the desired information. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a packet of cigarettes designed to provide consumers with all necessary information in clear text, in a low-cost manner and with substantially no alterations to existing packing machines. 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a packet of cigarettes having a parallelepiped shape and comprising a number of sheet material packing components folded and assembled to one another to define an inner wrapping housing a group of cigarettes and an outer package; the packet having two lateral major walls and two lateral minor walls and comprising a top portion, which is openable for the extraction of the cigarettes, and a bottom portion for the storage of the cigarettes; and a label being applied to at least one of said packing components and being visible on the outside of the packet; characterized in that at least one portion of the label is defined by a portion of magnetic data recording tape, the label has printed graphic signs, and the label is applied to one of said lateral walls of said bottom portion of the packet in order to be completely arranged on only one lateral wall of said bottom portion. 
     The present invention also relates to a method of producing a packet of cigarettes. 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a packet of cigarettes having a parallelepiped shape, the method comprising the first steps of folding and assembling to one another a number of sheet material components to define an inner wrapping housing a group of cigarettes and an outer package; and a second step of supplying and applying a label to at least one of said components, so that the label is visible on the outside of the said packet; the packet having two lateral major walls and two lateral minor walls and comprising a top portion, which is openable for the extraction of the cigarettes, and a bottom portion; said label being at least partly defined by a portion of magnetic data recording tape; and the method being characterized by comprising the further step of printing graphic signs on said label during or after said second step; the label being applied to said bottom portion of the packet and to one of said lateral walls in order to be completely arranged on only one lateral wall. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A number of non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows a schematic view in perspective, partly in block form, of a portion of a production line of a machine for producing a first embodiment of the packet according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows a schematic view in perspective, partly in block form, of a portion of a production line of a machine for producing a second embodiment of the packet according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 shows a larger-scale view of a detail of the second embodiment of the packet according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 shows a schematic view in perspective, partly in block form, of a variation of the FIG. 1 production line. 
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Number  1  in FIG. 1 indicates as a whole a line for producing packets  2 , each of which is substantially parallelepiped-shaped and houses a group of cigarettes (not shown) enclosed in an inner wrapping  3  made by folding a sheet  3   a  of foil in known manner. 
     Each packet  2  comprises an outer package  4 , which, in the example shown, comprises an outer wrapping  5  about inner wrapping  3 , and an overwrapping  6  of transparent material—in the example shown, polypropylene—covering outer wrapping  5 . 
     Packet  2  also comprises a label  7  defined by a portion  8  of magnetic data recording tape, which, in the specific example shown, is connected to outer wrapping  5  and has graphic signs  9  visible on the outside of packet  2  and containing, for example, the date of manufacture of packet  2 . 
     In variations not shown, label  7  is connected to overwrapping  6 , or—in the event packet  2  is a so-called “soft” pack, in which part of inner wrapping  3  is visible on the outside—is connected astride outer wrapping  5  and inner wrapping  3 . 
     Line  1  comprises a known supply line  10  in turn comprising a support  11  for a reel  12 , from which a continuous strip  13  of sheet material is unwound and fed by a conveyor  14  to a cutting station  15  where strip  13  is converted into a succession of sheets  16  of packing material. 
     In a variation not shown, line  10  is replaced by a known line (not shown) for supplying precut sheets  16  of packing material defined, for example, by blanks. 
     Each sheet  16  of packing material is fed by a conveyor  17  to the input of a known packing wheel  18  forming part of line  1 , and by which sheet  16  of packing material is folded about a respective inner wrapping  3  to form respective outer wrapping  5 . 
     On a known cellophaning machine  19  downstream from packing wheel  18  and forming part of line  1 , outer wrapping  5  is then covered with a sheet  20  of transparent overwrapping material, which is folded in known manner about outer wrapping  5  to form overwrapping  6  and so complete outer package  4 . 
     Line  1  also comprises a line  21  for supplying portions  8 , and which in turn comprises a support  22  for a reel  23 , from which is unwound a continuous magnetic tape  24 , one surface  25  of which is coated, in the example shown, with an optional layer  26  of lacquer. On the opposite side to surface  25 , tape  24  has a surface  27 , which is cold gummed and protected by a nonstick strip  28 , which is unwound together with tape  24  and guided by a guide roller  29  along a collecting path R. 
     Tape  24  is fed by two rollers  30  to a cutting station  31  where it is cut into a succession of portions  8 . Portions  8  so formed are then fed onto a conveyor  32 —preferably a nonstick suction conveyor—by which they are accelerated to separate them by a distance equal to the length of a sheet  16  of packing material before being fed by a conveyor  33  onto the outer surface of strip  13  on conveyor  14 . Strip  13 , together with portions  8 , is then fed by conveyor  14  through cutting station  15 , and the resulting sheets  16  of packing material are fed by conveyor  17  onto packing wheel  18 . 
     Along line  1  and upstream from conveyor  33 , there is provided a printing device  34 —optical, ink-jet or other type—for printing graphic signs  9  on surface  25  of each portion  8 . 
     As shown in the variations indicated by the dash lines in FIG. 1, printing device  34  may be located anywhere along line  1  permitting on-line printing of graphic signs  9  on portions  8 . 
     As an alternative to line  1 , FIG. 2 shows a production line  35 , the parts of which are indicated, wherever possible, using the same reference numbers as for the corresponding parts of line  1 . 
     Line  35  produces a succession of packets  2 , each having a label  7 , which is integral with outer wrapping  5  and, as shown more clearly in FIG. 3, is defined by a rectangular portion  36  of paper to which is connected a rectangular magnetic portion  8  smaller than portion  36 . The part of portion  36  not occupied by portion  8  comprises a portion bearing graphic signs  9 , which are printed on portion  36  by printing device  34 . 
     Line  35  is similar to line  1 , except that line  21  supplying portions  8  on line  1  is replaced by a line  37 , which, in addition to line  21 , also comprises a further line  38  located upstream from line  21  and for supplying portions  36 . 
     Line  38  comprises a support  39  for a reel  40 , from which is unwound a continuous strip  41  of paper material, one surface  42  of which is cold gummed and protected by a nonstick strip  43 , which is unwound together with strip  41  and guided by a guide roller  44  along a collecting path R 1 . 
     Continuous strip  41  is guided by a roller  45  onto a conveyor  46 —preferably a nonstick suction conveyor—by which continuous strip  41  is fed through a cutting station  47  to obtain a continuous succession of portions  36 . Portions  36  are transferred to a conveyor  48 , by which they are accelerated and spaced a given distance apart. And to each portion  36  is applied a respective portion  8 , which, at the output of line  21 , is accelerated by a conveyor  50  and applied to respective portion  36  by a roller  49 . 
     Each label  7  so formed is transferred by a conveyor  51  to a conveyor  52 , by which it is accelerated and separated from the adjacent labels  7  by a distance equal to the length of a sheet  16  of packing material, before being fed by conveyor  33  to the input of line  10 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a production line  53  similar to line  1 , except that, as opposed to being arranged in series, lines  10  and  21  may be arranged parallel. More specifically, on line  53 , line  10  (not shown in FIG. 4) supplies sheets  16  of packing material (not shown in FIG. 4) to packing wheel  18  (not shown in FIG.  4 ), which forms and supplies outer wrappings  5  to cellophaning machine  19  (not shown in FIG. 4) to form overwrappings  6  and so complete outer packages  4 . As packets  2  are conveyed on a conveying wheel  54  upstream or downstream from cellophaning machine  19 , a label  7 , fed onto wheel  54  by line  21  and conveyor  33 , is applied to overwrapping  6  or to the outer surface of outer wrapping  5  of each packet  2 . 
     In a variation not shown, line  21  of production line  53  is replaced by a line  37 . 
     In a further variation not shown, tape  24  of line  21  is lacquered on the machine by a lacquering device (not shown) downstream from reel  23 .