Patent Publication Number: US-9902553-B2

Title: Packet of smoking articles provided with an inner package having a reclosable extraction opening

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/IB2015/54873, filed Jun. 29, 2015, which claims the benefit of Italian Patent Application No. BO2014A000368, filed Jul. 2, 2014. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a packet of smoking articles provided with an inner package having a reclosable extraction opening. 
     The present invention is applied advantageously to a packet of cigarettes, to which the following description will make explicit reference without loss of generality. 
     PRIOR ART 
     Normally, a rigid packet of cigarette with hinged-lid comprises an inner package which encloses a group of cigarettes and a rigid outer casing which houses the inner package. 
     Recently, in order to better preserve the organoleptic characteristics of the cigarette tobacco the use of a sealed inner package, which is formed by folding and heat-seal a sheet of waterproof packing material has been proposed. To allow extracting the cigarettes, the sealed inner package is provided with an extraction opening that is normally covered by an adhesive label of the “open and close” type; in particular, the adhesive label is provided with a non-dry, re-stick glue, which allows to block the adhesive label in a closed position of the cigarette extraction opening multiple times. 
     However, the sealed inner packages currently on the market have a relatively small extraction opening (i.e. slightly extended) and as a result the extraction of the cigarettes through the extraction opening can sometimes be difficult. 
     The patent application EP1591027A1 describes a rigid packet of cigarettes with hinged-lid comprising a not sealed inner package that wraps a group of cigarettes, and a rigid outer container which is provided with a hinged lid and houses the inner package. The inner package has at the top an extraction opening that is covered by a lift-up portion of the inner package, which lift-up portion is glued to an inner surface of the lid to be lifted and lowered automatically by exploiting the opening and closing movement of the lid. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to provide a packet of smoking articles provided with an inner package having a reclosable extraction opening, which packet of cigarettes is free from the drawbacks described above and is, at the same time, easy and inexpensive to manufacture. 
     According to the present invention a packet of smoking articles provided with an inner package having a reclosable extraction opening, as claimed in the attached claims is provided. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limitative embodiment, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view and in a closed configuration of a packet of cigarettes produced according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the packet of cigarettes of  FIG. 1  in a closed configuration; 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the packet of cigarettes of  FIG. 1  in an open configuration; 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of an inner package of the packet of  FIG. 1  in a closed configuration; 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the inner package of  FIG. 4  in an open configuration; 
         FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of a group of cigarettes contained inside the inner package of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of a heat-sealable sheet of packing material used to produce the inner package of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of a stiffener contained inside the inner package of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a view of a blank used to produce the stiffener of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a plan view of an alternative of the sheet of packing material of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a plan view of a further alternative of the sheet of packing material of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic view of a detail of a front part of the inner package of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic view and in section along the line XIII-XIII of a front part of the inner package of the figure. 
     
    
    
     PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3  the number  1  indicates as a whole a rigid packet of cigarettes. The packet  1  of cigarettes comprises a cup-shaped outer container  2  made of cardboard or rigid paperboard and an inner package  3  (best shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 ) housed inside the container  2 . 
     The outer container  2  has an open top end and is provided with cup-shaped a lid  4 , and is hinged to the outer container  2  along a hinge  5  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) to rotate, with respect to the outer container  2  itself, between an open position (illustrated in  FIG. 3 ) and a closed position (shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) of the open top end. The outer container  2  has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and has an open top end, a bottom wall  6  opposite to the open top end, a front wall  7  and a rear wall  8  (wherein the hinge  5  is formed) parallel and opposite to each other, and two lateral walls  9  parallel and opposite to each other. The lid  4  has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and has an open bottom end (facing the open top end of the container  2  when the outer lid  4  is in the closed position), a top wall  10  (which is parallel and opposite to and aligned with the bottom wall  6  of the outer container  2  when the lid  4  is in the closed position), a front wall  11  (which is parallel to and aligned with the front wall  7  of the outer container  2  when the lid  4  is in the closed position), a rear wall  12  (which is parallel to and aligned with the rear wall  8  of the container  2  when the outer lid  4  is in the closed position), and two lateral walls  13  parallel and opposite to each other (which are parallel to and aligned with the lateral walls  9  of the outer container  2  when the lid  4  is in the closed position). 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the inner package  3  encloses a group  14  of cigarettes (shown partly in  FIG. 5  and completely illustrated in  FIG. 6 ) of parallelepiped shape and has at the top and at the front a lift-up portion  15 , which is separated from the remaining part of the inner package  3  by a U-shaped pre-weakened parting line  16  and which is torn completely the first time the packet  1  of cigarettes is opened. The lifting of the lift-up portion  15  (i.e. the detachment of the lift-up portion  15  from the remaining part of the inner package  3 ) frees (forms) an extraction opening  17  (illustrated in  FIG. 5 ) which allows to access the group  14  of cigarettes contained inside the inner package  3 . The lift-up portion  15  of the inner package  3  is in direct contact, without other elements in between, with an inner surface of the top wall  10  of the lid  4  and with an inner surface of the front wall  11  of the lid  4 . In other words, between the inner surface the lid  4  and the lift-up portion  15  of the inner package  3  no other element is in between, and then the lift-up portion  15  is in direct contact with the inner surface of the lid  4 . 
     The inner package  3  has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a top wall  18  and a bottom wall  19  parallel and opposite to each other, a front wall  20  and a rear wall  21  parallel and opposite to each other, and two lateral walls  22  parallel and opposite to each other. The lift-up portion  15  (i.e. the extraction opening  17  that corresponds in negative to the lift-up portion  15 ) of the inner package  3  is arranged centrally and interests (i.e. extends in) a central part (i.e. in a limited portion) of the top wall  18  and in a central part (i.e. in a limited portion) of the front wall  20 . 
     The inner package  3  is formed by folding a waterproof and heat-sealable sheet  23  of packing material (shown in  FIG. 7 ), which has a rectangular shape and has the parting line  16  which is U-shaped and defines the lift-up portion  15 . The inner package  3  is stabilized, i.e. maintained in the folded configuration, by means of a central sealing (or longitudinal sealing) which is arranged at a front, back or bottom wall of the inner package  3  (in each case at a given distance from the lift-up portion  15  to be well separated from the lift-up portion  15  itself) and by two side sealing (or transversal sealing) which are arranged at the lateral walls of the inner package  3 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the inner package  3  comprises a stiffener  24 , which is made of cardboard or rigid paperboard (quite similar to the cardboard or rigid cardboard constituting the outer container  2 ), is “U”-shaped and is arranged inside the internal to the inner package  3  contacting the group  14  of cigarettes. 
     The stiffener  24  comprises a front wall  25  of rectangular shape arranged on one side in contact with a front wall of the group  14  of cigarettes and from the opposite side in contact with the front wall  20  of the inner package  3  and a pair of lateral walls  26 , which are connected to opposite sides of front wall  25  and are arranged on one side in contact with the lateral walls of the group  14  of cigarettes and from the opposite side in contact with the lateral walls  22  of the inner package  3 . The front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  has a U-shaped window  29  which is arranged at the top and facilitates removing the cigarettes from the group  14  of cigarettes as it leaves a top area of the front wall of the group  14  of cigarettes, at the extraction opening  17 , exposed. According to a different embodiment not illustrated, the stiffener  24  could comprise a lower wall arranged on one side in contact with the bottom wall of group  14  of cigarettes and from the opposite side in contact with the lower wall  19  of the inner package  3 . According to a different embodiment not illustrated, the stiffener  24  may comprise two small top walls, which are connected to the lateral walls  26  and are arranged by one side in contact with the top wall of the group  14  of cigarettes and on the opposite side in contact with the top wall  18  of the inner package  3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the parting line  16  comprises a U-shaped transverse portion  30  (horizontally arranged) which extends in a front wall  20  of the inner package  3 , and defines a continuous through cut of the inner package  3 ; in other words, along the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  the inner package  3  is completely cut from side to side without any type of link astride the transverse portion  30  itself (i.e. the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  is a full and total cut of the inner package  3 ). Furthermore, the parting line  16  comprises two longitudinal portions  31  which extend seamlessly in part in the front wall  20  of the inner package  3  and in part in the top wall  18  of the inner package  3 , originate from opposite ends of the transverse portion  30 , and define a tearable weakening of the inner package  3 ; in other words, each longitudinal portion  31  of the parting line does not define a continuous through cut of the inner package  3 , but defines a weakening of the inner package  3  that can be easily torn to become, after being torn, in a continuous through cut of the inner package  3 . Therefore, along the longitudinal portions  31  of the parting line  16  residual connections of the inner package  3  remain arranged astride the longitudinal portions  31  themselves. The longitudinal portions  31  of the parting line  16  may be defined by an alternation of cut lengths and intact lengths, or may be defined by a continuous non-through incision. According to a preferred embodiment, each longitudinal portion  31  of the parting line  16  ends (on the side opposite to the transverse portion  30 ) with a curl  32  which has the function of interrupting the propagation of the tear along the inner package  3  when the lift-up portion  15  is open (i.e. is separated from the rest of the inner package  3 ). 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  defines a continuous through cut in the inner package  3  while the longitudinal portions  31  of the parting line  16  define a tearable weakening of the inner package  3 ; however, in the alternative illustrated in  FIG. 10 , also the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  defines a tearable weakening of the inner package  3  and therefore in all its extension the parting line  16  is a tearable weakening of the inner package  3 . 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the parting line  16  extends partially also to a rear wall  21  of the inner package (i.e. the two longitudinal portions  31  of the parting line extend partially also to a rear wall  21  of the inner package  3 ). Instead, in the alternative illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the parting line  16  extends only to the front wall  20  and to the rear wall  21  of the inner package  3  and ends before a crosswise edge between the top wall  18  and the rear wall  21  of the inner package  3  (i.e. the two longitudinal portions  31  of the parting line  16  end before a transverse edge between the top wall  18  and the rear wall  21  of the inner package  3 ); in other words, the parting line  16  ends at a given distance of other than zero from the transverse edge between the top wall  18  and the rear wall  21  of the inner package  3  (i.e. the two longitudinal portions  31  of the parting line  16  end at a certain distance of other than zero from the transverse edge between the top wall  18  and the rear wall  21  of the inner package  3 ). The embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 11  allows to keep the lift-up portion  15  at higher (better) contact with the inner surface of the lid  4 , but in contrast penalizes the total dimension (area, extent) of the extraction opening  17 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the lift-up portion  15  has a bottom end  33  which is arranged at the front wall  20  of the inner package  3  and is bounded by the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16 ; in other words, the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  bounds (surrounds) the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  which is arranged at the front wall  20  of the inner package  3  and defines the lower part (i.e. closer to the bottom wall  19 ) of the lift-up portion  15 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  is glued to the inner surface of the front wall  11  of the lid  4  by means of the permanent glue  34  (i.e. drying and that is not repositionable); i.e. the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  is glued permanently and in non-separable manner to the inner surface of the lid  4 . In this way by opening or closing the lid  4  is simultaneously opened and closed also the lift-up portion  15 . According to a different embodiment not illustrated, a part of the lift-up portion  15  other than the bottom end  33  could be glued permanently and in non-separable manner to the inner surface of the lid  4  in addition or as an alternative to the bottom end  33 . Thanks to the fact of making the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  integral permanently to the lid  4  is possible to obtain the simultaneous movement of the lift-up portion  15  together with the lid  4 . Lifting the lift-up portion  15  from the inner package  3  during the lid  4  opening takes place in a gentle and gradual manner without any load on the cigarettes contained inside the inner package  3  itself; furthermore, lowering the lift-up portion  15  on the inner package  3  during the lid  4  closing takes place in a gentle and gradual manner allowing the lift-up portion  15  to wrap in sequence and accurately the profile of the inner package  3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  leans against the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  under the window  29 ; in other words, the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  projects from the extraction opening  17  of the inner package  3  and therefore the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  is visible through the extraction opening  17  of the inner package  3   
     when the lift-up portion  15  of the inner package  3  is opened (as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 ). According to an alternative embodiment not illustrated, the front wall  25  of the stiffener does not project from the extraction opening  17  of the inner package  3  and therefore the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  is not visible through the extraction opening  17  of the inner package  3  when the lift-up portion  15  of the inner package  3  is opened. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  has a band  35  of glue, which is arranged on an outer surface of the front wall  25  at the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  so as to glue the bottom ends  33  of the lift-up portion  15  to the front wall  25 . Preferably, the band  35  of glue is arranged so as to be superimposed to the two longitudinal portions  31  of the parting line  16  above the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  has a band  36  of glue, which is parallel to and spaced apart from the band  35  of glue and is arranged on an outer surface of the front wall  25  lower than the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  so as to glue to the front wall  25 , a front part of the inner package  3  contiguous to the lift-up portion  15  (i.e. adjacent to the lift-up portion  15  and separated from the lift-up portion  15  itself by the parting line  16 ). Preferably, the band  36  of glue is U-shaped and externally surrounds the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15 ; furthermore, the ends of the band  36  of glue contact the band  35  of glue giving the two bands  35  and  36  of glue an overall ring shape bounding a central area with no glue. 
     According to a possible embodiment, the band  35  of glue is composed of weak-stick, drying glue that yields and loses its adhesive effect the first time the packet  1  of cigarettes is opened; according to a further embodiment, the band  35  of glue is composed of non-dry, re-stick glue, (i.e. which remains sticky), so as to repeatedly detach and re-stick the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  to the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24 . Generally, for application simplicity, the band  36  of glue is composed of the same type of glue of the band  35  of glue; however, the band of glue  35  may be formed of re-stick glue while the band of glue  36  may be formed of non-dry, re-stick glue. 
     The presence of the band  35  of glue between the bottom end  33  of the lift-up portion  15  and the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  determines the temporary gluing of the bottom end of the lift-up portion  15  to the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24 ; said gluing is temporary, since it is interrupted at the first opening of the packet  1  of cigarettes and is restored only if the band  35  of glue is composed of re-stick glue. The presence of the band of glue  36  between the inner package  3  and the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  determines the permanent gluing (i.e. also in use is never separated) of the front wall  20  of the inner package  3  to the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24 . 
     The function of the two bands  35  and  36  of glue is to “seal” the extraction opening  17  until the first opening of the packet  1  of cigarettes, or until complete tear of the whole parting line  16 . In other words, the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  defines a through cut from the beginning of the inner package  3 , and therefore through the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  the air can penetrate inside the inner package  3 ; the bands  35  and  36  of glue thus glue the front wall  20  of the inner package  3  to the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  all around the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  thus preventing air from penetrating inside the inner package  3  passing through the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16 . That is, the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16  is “sealed” by the two bands  35  and  36  of glue forming a “sealing” ring all around the transverse portion  30  of the parting line  16 . The band  35  of glue, when is composed of re-stick glue, has the additional function of keeping the lift-up portion  15  in close contact with the front wall  25  of the stiffener  24  after the first opening of the packet  1  of cigarettes. 
     It is important to note that even the mere presence of the band  35  of glue (i.e. without the band  36  of glue) allows to increase the sealing of the extraction opening  17  until the first opening of the packet  1  of cigarettes, or until the complete tear of the whole parting line  16 . In other words, also the band  35  of glue alone (i.e. without the band  36  of glue) increases the sealing of the extraction opening  17 . Obviously, the addition also of the band  36  of glue allows to further improve the sealing of the extraction opening  17  until the first opening of the packet  1  of cigarettes, or until complete tear of the whole parting line  16 . 
     According to a preferred, but not binding, embodiment, the stiffener  24  has externally (i.e. in contact with the sheet  23  of packing material constituting the inner package  3  and from the opposite side of the group  14  of cigarettes) a plastic coated surface, i.e. a surface covered by an outer layer of plastic material. In other words, an outer surface (arranged in contact with the sheet  23  of packing material constituting the inner package  3  and from the opposite side of the group  14  of cigarettes) of the stiffener  24  is covered with an outer layer of plastic material. For example, the outer surface of the stiffener  24  may be covered with a thin polyethylene film which can be laminated or applied by spraying or the like). Plastic coating (i.e. covering with an outer layer of plastic material) the outer surface of the stiffener  24  allows to ensure the substantial tightness of the inner package  3  (at the extraction opening  17 ), since it allows to ensure that the two bands  35  and  36  of glue would form a waterproof barrier in contact with the outer surface of the stiffener  24 . 
     The embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 12  also has the further advantage of particularly facilitate the trigger and the first tear propagation of the two longitudinal portions  31  of the parting line  16  at the first opening of the packet  1  of cigarettes, as the area of glue which is to be detached at the two longitudinal portions  31  (i.e. the band  35  of glue) has a reduced extension and therefore does not require the application of a high separation force. 
     In the embodiments illustrated in the attached figures, the longitudinal edges are chamfered; alternatively, the longitudinal edges may be rounded or straight. 
     The packet  1  of cigarettes described above has numerous advantages. 
     First, in the packet  1  of cigarettes described above the extraction opening  17  of the inner package  3  it is particularly large to the advantage of ease of extraction of the cigarettes. This result is obtained thanks to the fact that the lift-up portion  15  of the inner package  3  is in direct contact without the interposition of other elements with an inner surface of the lid  4 : not having to provide additional space for other elements (typically a resealable adhesive label) the lift-up portion  15  can exploited itself all the available space with the result of being able to form a very large extraction opening  17 . 
     Furthermore, in the packet  1  of cigarettes described above is very simple to obtain a permanent connection between the lift-up portion  15  and the inner surface of the lid  4  to obtain an “automatic” opening and closing of the lift-up portion  15  associated to the handling of the lid  4 ; in other words, by opening or closing the lid  4  is “automatically” and simultaneously open or closed also the lift-up portion  15 . 
     Finally, the packet  1  of cigarettes described above is simple and inexpensive to produce, since the outer container  2  is entirely conventional and the inner package  3  requires a reduced number of elements for the production thereof (i.e. the inner package  3  comprises only the sheet  23  of packing material and the stiffener  24  without further additions).