Patent ID: 7827769

Claim:
A method of folding a sheet of packing material about a group of cigarettes; the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material is in the form of an elongated rectangle, has two opposite parallel long sides and two opposite parallel short sides, and comprises an extraction opening ( 4 ) closed by a reusable cover flap ( 5 ) and located close to a short side; the group ( 23 ) of cigarettes is substantially parallelepiped-shaped, and comprises two major lateral walls ( 24 ), two minor lateral walls ( 25 ), and two end walls ( 26 ); four longitudinal edges ( 27 ) are defined between the two major lateral walls ( 24 ) and the two minor lateral walls ( 25 ); four major transverse edges ( 28 ) are defined between the two major lateral walls ( 24 ) and the two end walls ( 26 ); and four minor transverse edges ( 29 ) are defined between the two minor lateral walls ( 25 ) and the two end walls ( 26 ); the method comprises the steps of: bringing a first end wall ( 26 a ) of the group ( 23 ) of cigarettes into contact with the flat sheet ( 22 ) of packing material, so that the major transverse edges ( 28 ) of the group ( 23 ) of cigarettes are parallel to the short sides of the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material, and the minor transverse edges ( 29 ) of the group ( 23 ) of cigarettes are parallel to the long sides of the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material; folding the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material into a U about the major transverse edges ( 28 ) of the first end wall ( 26 a ), so that the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material ( 22 ) covers both the major lateral walls ( 24 ) completely; folding the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material onto a second end wall ( 26 b ) of the group ( 23 ) of cigarettes; and folding the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material onto the minor lateral walls ( 25 ) of the group ( 23 ) of cigarettes; and the method is characterized by comprising the further step of positioning the first end wall ( 26 a ) of the group ( 23 ) of cigarettes asymmetrically with respect to the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material, so that the first end wall ( 26 a ) of the group ( 23 ) of cigarettes is closer to the short side of the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material opposite the extraction opening ( 4 ), and is further from the short side of the sheet ( 22 ) of packing material located close to the extraction opening ( 4 ).