EP3749580B1 - Method and machine for the packaging of tobacco products - Google Patents
Method and machine for the packaging of tobacco products Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3749580B1 EP3749580B1 EP19705992.6A EP19705992A EP3749580B1 EP 3749580 B1 EP3749580 B1 EP 3749580B1 EP 19705992 A EP19705992 A EP 19705992A EP 3749580 B1 EP3749580 B1 EP 3749580B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- front wall
- lid
- lid front
- wall flap
- flap
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 title claims description 27
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 22
- 235000019505 tobacco product Nutrition 0.000 title description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 59
- 241000208125 Nicotiana Species 0.000 claims description 31
- 235000002637 Nicotiana tabacum Nutrition 0.000 claims description 31
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 claims description 31
- 238000011282 treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 23
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 claims description 19
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 claims description 19
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 claims description 14
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 claims description 14
- 239000002344 surface layer Substances 0.000 claims description 12
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 235000019504 cigarettes Nutrition 0.000 description 13
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 10
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 7
- 230000000391 smoking effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 239000000499 gel Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000013532 laser treatment Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 4
- SNICXCGAKADSCV-JTQLQIEISA-N (-)-Nicotine Chemical compound CN1CCC[C@H]1C1=CC=CN=C1 SNICXCGAKADSCV-JTQLQIEISA-N 0.000 description 3
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229960002715 nicotine Drugs 0.000 description 3
- SNICXCGAKADSCV-UHFFFAOYSA-N nicotine Natural products CN1CCCC1C1=CC=CN=C1 SNICXCGAKADSCV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 239000000443 aerosol Substances 0.000 description 2
- 235000019506 cigar Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 239000002648 laminated material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000011087 paperboard Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000004411 aluminium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001465 metallisation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012858 packaging process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000002203 pretreatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003313 weakening effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B19/00—Packaging rod-shaped or tubular articles susceptible to damage by abrasion or pressure, e.g. cigarettes, cigars, macaroni, spaghetti, drinking straws or welding electrodes
- B65B19/02—Packaging cigarettes
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B19/00—Packaging rod-shaped or tubular articles susceptible to damage by abrasion or pressure, e.g. cigarettes, cigars, macaroni, spaghetti, drinking straws or welding electrodes
- B65B19/02—Packaging cigarettes
- B65B19/12—Inserting the cigarettes, or wrapped groups thereof, into preformed containers
- B65B19/20—Inserting the cigarettes, or wrapped groups thereof, into preformed containers into boxes with hinged lids
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/07—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles
- B65D85/08—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular
- B65D85/10—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular for cigarettes
- B65D85/1036—Containers formed by erecting a rigid or semi-rigid blank
- B65D85/1045—Containers formed by erecting a rigid or semi-rigid blank having a cap-like lid hinged to an edge
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/07—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles
- B65D85/08—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular
- B65D85/10—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular for cigarettes
- B65D85/1036—Containers formed by erecting a rigid or semi-rigid blank
- B65D85/1045—Containers formed by erecting a rigid or semi-rigid blank having a cap-like lid hinged to an edge
- B65D85/1056—Containers formed by erecting a rigid or semi-rigid blank having a cap-like lid hinged to an edge characterized by the lid
- B65D85/10568—Containers formed by erecting a rigid or semi-rigid blank having a cap-like lid hinged to an edge characterized by the lid opening of the lid opens simultaneously an inner package within the container
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B19/00—Packaging rod-shaped or tubular articles susceptible to damage by abrasion or pressure, e.g. cigarettes, cigars, macaroni, spaghetti, drinking straws or welding electrodes
- B65B19/02—Packaging cigarettes
- B65B19/22—Wrapping the cigarettes; Packaging the cigarettes in containers formed by folding wrapping material around formers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B2230/00—Aspects of the final package
- B65B2230/04—Cigarette packages having a hinged lid
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material in a sheet of board material and to a packaging machine for packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material in a sheet of board material.
- Packs typically have an outer carton made from board, such as cardboard, which is folded to form a base and a hinged-lid.
- An inner frame may be attached to the base so that it protrudes from the base so that it is received in the lid when closed.
- the bundle of tobacco industry products may comprise a group of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material that has a section that is separable from the remainder of the barrier material to form an extraction opening.
- a flexible label is attached to the section and to the lid so that, when the lid is rotated into its open position, the section is lifted together with the flexible label to open the extraction opening through which the tobacco industry products may be removed.
- US 2017/0203910 discloses a cigarette pack with an outer hinged-lid pack and a sealed inner pack.
- the inner pack comprises an opening tab and a closure label, the closure label being fixed to the inner side of a lid front wall by an actuating tab and being movable with the lid (30) to the opening position.
- WO 2007/093288 discloses a process for production and/or packaging of cigarette packs.
- the packages are treated with a plasma jet generated by a plasma generator.
- DE 102015013734 discloses a plasma device for the pre-treatment of laminated cardboard blanks for the production of cigarette boxes.
- US 5934461 discloses chemical treatment of an aluminium cigarette pack.
- a method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material in a sheet of board material in which a packaging machine folds the sheet of board material to form a base to contain a bundle, and a lid rotatable relative to the base between open and closed positions, the lid having a front wall and a lid front wall flap having a rear face that lies against an inner surface of the lid front wall to enable a flexible label.
- the board material comprises a surface layer or coating which is on said front face of the lid front wall flap wherein the method includes:
- the method comprises non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap using a laser.
- the rated power of the laser may be 100 Watts, and the method may comprise operating the laser at between 50% to 100% of its rated power.
- the method may include moving the laser relative to the front face of the lid front wall flap during treatment.
- the method may comprise treating the front face of the lid front wall flap using a plurality of lasers.
- the method may comprise non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap with a chemical or plasma in addition to, or separately from, treatment using a laser.
- a packaging machine for packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material a sheet of board material comprising:
- the treatment unit may comprise a laser.
- the rated power of the laser may be 100 Watts.
- the laser may be controlled at between 50% to 100% of its rated power.
- the packaging machine may comprise a drive unit to move the laser relative to the lid front wall flap during treatment.
- the treatment unit may comprise a plurality of lasers.
- the treatment unit may be configured to treat the lid front wall flap chemically or using plasma.
- Figure 1 shows an example rigid pack 1, made from a board material such as paperboard or cardboard, with a hinged lid 2 and a base 3 containing a group of cigarettes 4 wrapped in a flexible barrier material 5 to form a bundle 6.
- An extraction opening 7 is formed in the barrier material 5.
- the extraction opening 7 is formed when a separable section 8 of the barrier material 5 is lifted to allow access to the cigarettes 4.
- the barrier material 5 may be made of metallized plastics or of a plastics/metal foil laminate material.
- a flexible extends over and is attached to the section 8 and has, on its undersurface facing the barrier material 5, a pressure sensitive re-stick adhesive which is of sufficient strength to ensure that the label 9 remains adhered to the section 8.
- a pressure sensitive re-stick adhesive which is of sufficient strength to ensure that the label 9 remains adhered to the section 8.
- a permanent bonding adhesive may be applied to the portion of the undersurface of the label 9 which overlies the removable section 8. However, where the label 9 extends beyond the removable section 8, its undersurface is provided with re-stick adhesive.
- an inner frame (not shown) may be provided within the bundle 6 so that it extends partially around the cigarettes 4 beneath the barrier material 5.
- the inner frame provides a reaction surface underneath the barrier material 5 against the resealing pressure exerted by the label 9 around the periphery of the extraction opening 7.
- section 8 of the barrier material 5 is drawn back to reveal the extraction opening 7 and to enable a consumer to readily extract a cigarette 4 from the bundle 6.
- section 8 may be removable, it will be appreciated that it may remain at least partially attached to the remainder of the barrier material 5 when the extraction opening 7 is revealed.
- a portion of the outer surface 12 of the label 9 is attached to the lid 2 using permanent adhesive so that it folds back relative to the remainder of the label 9 when the lid 2 is rotated into an open position (as most clearly seen in Figure 2 ).
- the label 9 is peeled back or rolled away from the barrier material 5 together with the removable section 8. If the pack 1 is being opened for the first time, the removable region 8 may also separate from the remainder of the barrier material 5 along a line of weakening that separates the removable region 8 from the remainder of the barrier material 5, as the lid 2 is opened.
- the label 9 will roll back across the barrier material 5 and the removable region 8 of the barrier material 5 will re-position itself within the extraction opening 7.
- the peelable adhesive coating a peripheral region 14 of the label 9 will readhere to the barrier material 4 surrounding the extraction opening 6 to reseal the pack 1.
- the lid 2 comprises a front wall 14 and a lid front wall flap 15 which is folded relative to the front wall 14 substantially 180 degrees about a fold line 'F' between the lid front wall 14 and the lid front wall flap 15 so that a rear face 16 of the lid front wall flap 15 lies against an inner face 17 of the lid front wall 14, leaving a front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15 exposed.
- the rear face 16 of the lid front wall flap 15 may be permanently adhered to the inner surface 17 of the lid front wall 14.
- print may be applied to an outer surface 19 of the lid front wall 14 and around the fold line F onto the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15.
- the outer surface of the label 9 is adhered to the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15.
- the sheet of board material from which the lid and base are formed has a metallised, or otherwise coated, external surface layer.
- This surface is the external surface visible to a consumer.
- the board material may be Transmet board, which is a film-free metallic laminate for paperboard that provides a print receptive coating to the base material in a bright metallic finish. Transmet laminate is manufactured by the API Group.
- the board material may be Metpol, which has a layer of metallisation coated with a polymer layer.
- the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15 to which the label 9 is adhered has the metallised, or otherwise coated, surface.
- This surface or coating has a low affinity or receptivity to adhesive, as the adhesive is unable to penetrate the material, or penetrate it sufficiently, to form a good bond.
- Both Transmet and Metpol boards suffer from this problem, as the external surface layer is non-porous and so does not readily absorb adhesive.
- the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15 is non-mechanically treated to increase its receptivity or affinity to adhesive thereby improving the bond between the lid front wall flap 15 and the label 9.
- the non-mechanical treatment of the lid front wall flap 15 removes all, or some, of the surface layer or coating, to thereby expose the underlying board which has a much greater affinity for adhesive.
- the label 9 is therefore adhered to treated surface. It will be appreciated that the non-mechanical treatment may be carried out on all of the front face of the lid front wall flap. Alternatively it may be carried out on portions of it.
- Treatment may be carried out using a laser, such as a CO 2 laser.
- the laser 20 may have a power rating of 100Watts and be operated within a range of 50% to 90% of its power to remove the surface layer or coating whilst causing little or no damage to the underlying board.
- a laser treatment unit 20 is shown, that emits a laser beam 'L' towards the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15.
- the laser may move.
- the laser 20 may move as indicated by arrows marked 'X' and 'Y' in Figure 4 .
- the laser treatment unit 20 may remain stationary and the lid front wall flap 15 may pass beneath it.
- the laser treatment unit 20 may be active for a short period of time sufficient to treat the lid front wall flap 15.
- the laser treatment unit 20 may be operational for a period of time in the region of 0.5 seconds.
- the lid front wall flap 15 may be treated to remove a portion of the surface using a chemical or by using plasma.
- treatment occurs after the lid front wall flap 15 has been folded against the inner surface 17 of the lid front wall 14 by a folding unit 21, and prior to the application of adhesive in an adhering unit 22 that applies adhesive to the treated front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15 and sticks the label 9 to the front face 18.
- the treatment may occur at any time or stage in the manufacturing or packaging process.
- the non-mechanical treatment may be carried out prior to folding the lid front wall flap 15.
- lid front wall flap 15 may be treated, or the whole of the flap may be treated.
- the part of the lid front wall flap 15 which is treated may be treated such that all or only part of a surface layer or coating is removed.
- treatment occurs in a packaging machine, during assembly of the pack after the folding unit 21 has folded the lid front wall flap 15 against the inner surface 17 of the lid front wall 14 but prior to any further folding of the sheet.
- Folding of the lid front wall flap 15 against the inner surface 17 of the lid front wall 14 is illustrated in Figure 3 , and shows the lid front wall flap 15 being rotated, about the fold line F extending along a lower edge of the lid front wall 14, in the direction of arrow 'A'.
- the label 9, which has a portion attached to the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15, may be a separate element that is applied to the wrapped bundle 6.
- the barrier material 5 may be a laminate material.
- the label 9 may be integrally formed from the barrier material 5 and comprise one or more layers of the laminate.
- tobacco industry product is to be understood as including smoking articles comprising combustible smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own cigarettes, (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokable material), electronic smoking articles such as e-cigarettes, heating devices that release compounds from substrate materials without burning such as tobacco heating products; and hybrid systems to generate aerosol from a combination of substrate materials, for example hybrid systems containing a liquid or gel or solid substrate.
- the tobacco industry product is a smoking article for combustion selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo and a cigar.
- the tobacco industry product is a non-combustible smoking article.
- the tobacco industry product is a heating device which releases compounds by heating, but not burning, a substrate material.
- the material may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine.
- the heating device is a tobacco heating device.
- the tobacco industry product is a hybrid system to generate aerosol by heating, but not burning, a combination of substrate materials.
- the substrate materials may comprise for example solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain nicotine.
- the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel substrate and a solid substrate.
- the solid substrate may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine.
- the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel substrate and tobacco.
- Embodiments of the invention are described with reference to tobacco industry products, for example cigarettes. However, it will be appreciated that methods and packs of the invention may alternatively be used for non-tobacco industry related products.
- the entirety of this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced and provide a superior method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material, and to a packaging machine for packaging bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material.
- the advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and teach the claimed features.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to a method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material in a sheet of board material and to a packaging machine for packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material in a sheet of board material.
- Tobacco industry products, such as smoking articles, including cigarettes, are contained in packs. Packs typically have an outer carton made from board, such as cardboard, which is folded to form a base and a hinged-lid. An inner frame may be attached to the base so that it protrudes from the base so that it is received in the lid when closed.
- The bundle of tobacco industry products may comprise a group of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material that has a section that is separable from the remainder of the barrier material to form an extraction opening. A flexible label is attached to the section and to the lid so that, when the lid is rotated into its open position, the section is lifted together with the flexible label to open the extraction opening through which the tobacco industry products may be removed.
-
US 2017/0203910 discloses a cigarette pack with an outer hinged-lid pack and a sealed inner pack. The inner pack comprises an opening tab and a closure label, the closure label being fixed to the inner side of a lid front wall by an actuating tab and being movable with the lid (30) to the opening position. -
WO 2007/093288 discloses a process for production and/or packaging of cigarette packs. The packages are treated with a plasma jet generated by a plasma generator. -
DE 102015013734 discloses a plasma device for the pre-treatment of laminated cardboard blanks for the production of cigarette boxes. -
US 5934461 discloses chemical treatment of an aluminium cigarette pack. - In accordance with the embodiments described herein, there is provided a method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material in a sheet of board material, and in which a packaging machine folds the sheet of board material to form a base to contain a bundle, and a lid rotatable relative to the base between open and closed positions, the lid having a front wall and a lid front wall flap having a rear face that lies against an inner surface of the lid front wall to enable a flexible label. that extends over and is attached to a section of the flexible barrier material that defines an extraction opening, to be adhered to a front face of the lid front wall flap with adhesive so that the section is lifted to open the extraction opening upon rotation of the lid towards its open position, the board material comprises a surface layer or coating which is on said front face of the lid front wall flap
wherein the method includes: - folding the lid front wall flap so that its rear face is against the inner surface of the lid front wall;
- adhering the lid front wall flap to the inner surface of the lid front wall; and
- non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap which has been folded and adhered to the inner surface of the lid front wall to increase the receptivity of the lid front wall flap to the adhesive used to adhere the label to the front face of the lid front wall flap by removing at least a portion of the surface of the surface coating.
- Preferably, the method comprises non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap using a laser.
- The rated power of the laser may be 100 Watts, and the method may comprise operating the laser at between 50% to 100% of its rated power.
- The method may include moving the laser relative to the front face of the lid front wall flap during treatment.
- The method may comprise treating the front face of the lid front wall flap using a plurality of lasers.
- The method may comprise non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap with a chemical or plasma in addition to, or separately from, treatment using a laser.
- According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a packaging machine for packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material a sheet of board material, the packaging machine comprising:
- a folding unit for folding a sheet of board material about the bundle to form a base and a lid, the lid being attached to the base and being rotatable between open and closed positions, the lid also having a lid front wall and a lid front wall flap with a front and a rear face, the folding unit being configured to fold the lid front wall flap so that the rear face lies against an inner surface of the lid front wall, and to adhere the folded lid front wall flap to the inner surface of the lid front wall, the board material comprises a surface layer or coating which is on said front face of the lid front wall flap,
- a treatment unit to non-mechanically treat the front face of the lid front wall flap after the folded lid front wall flap has been adhered to the inner surface of the lid front wall to remove at least a portion of the surface layer or coating, and
- an adhering unit for adhering a flexible label to the treated front face of the lid front wall flap, the flexible label extending over and being attached to a section of the flexible barrier material that defines an extraction opening, to be adhered with adhesive so that the section is lifted to open the extraction opening upon rotation of the lid towards its open position.
- The treatment unit may comprise a laser. The rated power of the laser may be 100 Watts. The laser may be controlled at between 50% to 100% of its rated power. The packaging machine may comprise a drive unit to move the laser relative to the lid front wall flap during treatment. The treatment unit may comprise a plurality of lasers.
- The treatment unit may be configured to treat the lid front wall flap chemically or using plasma.
- Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a pack with the lid open, and in which a lower edge or a tab region of a label is attached to the front face of a lid front wall flap; -
Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional side elevation of an upper portion of the pack according toFigure 1 ; -
Figure 3 shows a top plan view of part of a sheet of board material that is foldable to form a container in which a bundle of tobacco industry products is received; and -
Figure 4 illustrates how the lid front wall flap may be treated using a laser or other non-mechanical treatment device. -
Figure 1 shows an example rigid pack 1, made from a board material such as paperboard or cardboard, with ahinged lid 2 and abase 3 containing a group of cigarettes 4 wrapped in aflexible barrier material 5 to form abundle 6. Anextraction opening 7 is formed in thebarrier material 5. Theextraction opening 7 is formed when aseparable section 8 of thebarrier material 5 is lifted to allow access to the cigarettes 4. Thebarrier material 5 may be made of metallized plastics or of a plastics/metal foil laminate material. - A flexible extends over and is attached to the
section 8 and has, on its undersurface facing thebarrier material 5, a pressure sensitive re-stick adhesive which is of sufficient strength to ensure that thelabel 9 remains adhered to thesection 8. As an alternative to re-stick adhesive, a permanent bonding adhesive may be applied to the portion of the undersurface of thelabel 9 which overlies theremovable section 8. However, where thelabel 9 extends beyond theremovable section 8, its undersurface is provided with re-stick adhesive. - To ensure good adhesion, an inner frame (not shown) may be provided within the
bundle 6 so that it extends partially around the cigarettes 4 beneath thebarrier material 5. The inner frame provides a reaction surface underneath thebarrier material 5 against the resealing pressure exerted by thelabel 9 around the periphery of theextraction opening 7. - A region 10 (see
Figure 2 ) of a lower front wall edge of thelabel 9, which may include a tab, is attached to thefront wall 11 of thelid 2 so that thelabel 9 is peeled back to reveal theextraction opening 7 at the same time thelid 2 is opened. In particular, with thelid 2 in an open position, as shown inFigure 1 and2 ,section 8 of thebarrier material 5 is drawn back to reveal theextraction opening 7 and to enable a consumer to readily extract a cigarette 4 from thebundle 6. Althoughsection 8 may be removable, it will be appreciated that it may remain at least partially attached to the remainder of thebarrier material 5 when theextraction opening 7 is revealed. - A portion of the
outer surface 12 of thelabel 9 is attached to thelid 2 using permanent adhesive so that it folds back relative to the remainder of thelabel 9 when thelid 2 is rotated into an open position (as most clearly seen inFigure 2 ). - When the
lid 2 is pivoted abouthinge 13 into its open position, thelabel 9 is peeled back or rolled away from thebarrier material 5 together with theremovable section 8. If the pack 1 is being opened for the first time, theremovable region 8 may also separate from the remainder of thebarrier material 5 along a line of weakening that separates theremovable region 8 from the remainder of thebarrier material 5, as thelid 2 is opened. - It will be appreciated that, when the
lid 2 is rotated about thehinge 13 back into its closed position, thelabel 9 will roll back across thebarrier material 5 and theremovable region 8 of thebarrier material 5 will re-position itself within theextraction opening 7. The peelable adhesive coating aperipheral region 14 of thelabel 9 will readhere to the barrier material 4 surrounding the extraction opening 6 to reseal the pack 1. - The
lid 2 comprises afront wall 14 and a lidfront wall flap 15 which is folded relative to thefront wall 14 substantially 180 degrees about a fold line 'F' between the lidfront wall 14 and the lidfront wall flap 15 so that arear face 16 of the lidfront wall flap 15 lies against aninner face 17 of thelid front wall 14, leaving afront face 18 of the lidfront wall flap 15 exposed. - The
rear face 16 of the lidfront wall flap 15 may be permanently adhered to theinner surface 17 of thelid front wall 14. By folding the lidfront wall flap 15 about fold line F, print may be applied to anouter surface 19 of the lidfront wall 14 and around the fold line F onto thefront face 18 of the lidfront wall flap 15. The outer surface of thelabel 9 is adhered to thefront face 18 of the lidfront wall flap 15. - The sheet of board material from which the lid and base are formed has a metallised, or otherwise coated, external surface layer. This surface is the external surface visible to a consumer. For example, the board material may be Transmet board, which is a film-free metallic laminate for paperboard that provides a print receptive coating to the base material in a bright metallic finish. Transmet laminate is manufactured by the API Group. Alternatively, the board material may be Metpol, which has a layer of metallisation coated with a polymer layer.
- It will be understood that, as a result of folding the lid
front wall flap 15 about the fold line 'F', thefront face 18 of the lidfront wall flap 15 to which thelabel 9 is adhered has the metallised, or otherwise coated, surface. This surface or coating has a low affinity or receptivity to adhesive, as the adhesive is unable to penetrate the material, or penetrate it sufficiently, to form a good bond. Both Transmet and Metpol boards suffer from this problem, as the external surface layer is non-porous and so does not readily absorb adhesive. - According to embodiments of the invention, the
front face 18 of the lidfront wall flap 15 is non-mechanically treated to increase its receptivity or affinity to adhesive thereby improving the bond between the lidfront wall flap 15 and thelabel 9. - The non-mechanical treatment of the lid
front wall flap 15 removes all, or some, of the surface layer or coating, to thereby expose the underlying board which has a much greater affinity for adhesive. Thelabel 9 is therefore adhered to treated surface. It will be appreciated that the non-mechanical treatment may be carried out on all of the front face of the lid front wall flap. Alternatively it may be carried out on portions of it. - Treatment may be carried out using a laser, such as a CO2 laser. The
laser 20 may have a power rating of 100Watts and be operated within a range of 50% to 90% of its power to remove the surface layer or coating whilst causing little or no damage to the underlying board. The use of a laser is shown inFigure 4 , in which alaser treatment unit 20 is shown, that emits a laser beam 'L' towards thefront face 18 of the lidfront wall flap 15. If required, the laser may move. For example, thelaser 20 may move as indicated by arrows marked 'X' and 'Y' inFigure 4 . Otherwise, thelaser treatment unit 20 may remain stationary and the lidfront wall flap 15 may pass beneath it. Thelaser treatment unit 20 may be active for a short period of time sufficient to treat the lidfront wall flap 15. For example, thelaser treatment unit 20 may be operational for a period of time in the region of 0.5 seconds. - In alternative embodiments, the lid
front wall flap 15 may be treated to remove a portion of the surface using a chemical or by using plasma. - From
Figure 4 , it will be appreciated that treatment occurs after the lidfront wall flap 15 has been folded against theinner surface 17 of thelid front wall 14 by afolding unit 21, and prior to the application of adhesive in an adheringunit 22 that applies adhesive to the treatedfront face 18 of the lidfront wall flap 15 and sticks thelabel 9 to thefront face 18. However, it will be appreciated that the treatment may occur at any time or stage in the manufacturing or packaging process. For example, the non-mechanical treatment may be carried out prior to folding the lidfront wall flap 15. - It will also be appreciated that only part of the lid
front wall flap 15 may be treated, or the whole of the flap may be treated. The part of the lidfront wall flap 15 which is treated may be treated such that all or only part of a surface layer or coating is removed. - In a preferred embodiment, treatment occurs in a packaging machine, during assembly of the pack after the
folding unit 21 has folded the lidfront wall flap 15 against theinner surface 17 of thelid front wall 14 but prior to any further folding of the sheet. Folding of the lidfront wall flap 15 against theinner surface 17 of thelid front wall 14 is illustrated inFigure 3 , and shows the lidfront wall flap 15 being rotated, about the fold line F extending along a lower edge of thelid front wall 14, in the direction of arrow 'A'. - The
label 9, which has a portion attached to thefront face 18 of the lidfront wall flap 15, may be a separate element that is applied to the wrappedbundle 6. However, in an alternative embodiment, thebarrier material 5 may be a laminate material. In this case, thelabel 9 may be integrally formed from thebarrier material 5 and comprise one or more layers of the laminate. - As used herein, the term "tobacco industry product" is to be understood as including smoking articles comprising combustible smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own cigarettes, (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokable material), electronic smoking articles such as e-cigarettes, heating devices that release compounds from substrate materials without burning such as tobacco heating products; and hybrid systems to generate aerosol from a combination of substrate materials, for example hybrid systems containing a liquid or gel or solid substrate.
- In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a smoking article for combustion selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo and a cigar.
- In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a non-combustible smoking article.
- In one embodiment the tobacco industry product is a heating device which releases compounds by heating, but not burning, a substrate material. The material may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment the heating device is a tobacco heating device.
- In another embodiment the tobacco industry product is a hybrid system to generate aerosol by heating, but not burning, a combination of substrate materials. The substrate materials may comprise for example solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel substrate and a solid substrate. The solid substrate may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel substrate and tobacco.
- Embodiments of the invention are described with reference to tobacco industry products, for example cigarettes. However, it will be appreciated that methods and packs of the invention may alternatively be used for non-tobacco industry related products.
- In order to address various issues and advance the art, the entirety of this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced and provide a superior method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material, and to a packaging machine for packaging bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and teach the claimed features.
Claims (15)
- A method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material in a sheet of board material, and in which a packaging machine folds the sheet of board material to form a base (3) to contain a bundle (6), and a lid (2) rotatable relative to the base (3) between open and closed positions, the lid (2) having a front wall (14) and a lid front wall flap (15) having a rear face (16) that lies against an inner surface (17) of the lid front wall (14) to enable a flexible label (9), that extends over and is attached to a section (8) of the flexible barrier material (5) that defines an extraction opening (7), to be adhered to a front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) with adhesive so that the section (8) is lifted to open the extraction opening (7) upon rotation of the lid (2) towards its open position, the board material comprises a surface layer or coating which is on said front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15),
wherein the method includes:folding the lid front wall flap (15) so that its rear face (16) is against the inner surface (17) of the lid front wall (14);adhering the lid front wall flap (15) to the inner surface (17) of the lid front wall (14); andcharacterised in that the method comprises non-mechanically treating the front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) which has been folded and adhered to the inner surface (17) of the lid front wall (14) to increase the receptivity of the lid front wall flap (15) to the adhesive used to adhere the flexible label (9) to the front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) by removing at least a portion of the surface layer or coating. - A method according to claim, comprising non-mechanically treating the front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) using a laser.
- A method according to claim 2, wherein the rated power of the laser is 100 Watts, and the method comprises operating the laser at between 50% to 100% of its rated power.
- A method according to claims 2 or 3, comprising moving the laser relative to the front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) during treatment.
- A method according to any of claims 2 to 4, comprising treating the front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) using a plurality of lasers.
- A method according to claim 1, comprising non-mechanically treating the front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) with a chemical.
- A method according to claim 1, comprising non-mechanically treating the front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) using plasma.
- A packaging machine for packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material in a sheet of board material, the packaging machine comprising:a folding unit (21) for folding a sheet of board material about the bundle (6) to form a base (3) and a lid (2), the lid (2) being attached to the base (3) and being rotatable between open and closed positions, the lid (2) also having a lid front wall (14) and a lid front wall flap (15) with a front and a rear face (18, 16), the folding unit being configured to fold the lid front wall flap (15) so that the rear face (16) lies against an inner surface (17) of the lid front wall (14), and to adhere the folded lid front wall flap (15) to the inner surface (17) of the lid front wall (14), the board material comprises a surface layer or coating which is on said front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15),a treatment unit (20) to non-mechanically treat the front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15) after the folded lid front wall flap (15) has been adhered to the inner surface (17) of the lid front wall (14) to remove at least a portion of the surface layer or coating, andan adhering unit (22) for adhering a flexible label (9) to the treated front face (18) of the lid front wall flap (15), the flexible label (9) extending over and being attached to a section (8) of the flexible barrier material (5) that defines an extraction opening (7), to be adhered with adhesive so that the section (8) is lifted to open the extraction opening (7) upon rotation of the lid (2) towards its open position.
- A packaging machine according to claim 8, wherein the treatment unit (20) comprises a laser.
- A packaging machine according to claim 9, wherein the rated power of the laser is 100 Watts.
- A packaging machine according to claim 10, comprising a controller operable to drive the laser at between 50% to 100% of its rated power.
- A packaging machine according to any of claims 9 to 11, comprising a drive unit to move the laser relative to the lid front wall flap (15) during treatment.
- A packaging machine according to any of claims 9 to 12, wherein the treatment unit (20) comprises a plurality of lasers.
- A packaging machine according to claim 8, wherein the treatment unit (20) is configured to treat the lid front wall flap (15) chemically.
- A packaging machine according to claim 8, wherein the treatment unit (20) is configured to treat the lid front wall flap (15) using plasma.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GBGB1802166.7A GB201802166D0 (en) | 2018-02-09 | 2018-02-09 | A Pack |
PCT/GB2019/050314 WO2019155200A1 (en) | 2018-02-09 | 2019-02-06 | Method and machine for the packaging of tobacco products, and pack |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3749580A1 EP3749580A1 (en) | 2020-12-16 |
EP3749580B1 true EP3749580B1 (en) | 2022-05-11 |
Family
ID=61731177
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19705992.6A Active EP3749580B1 (en) | 2018-02-09 | 2019-02-06 | Method and machine for the packaging of tobacco products |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20210032013A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3749580B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP7082672B2 (en) |
BR (1) | BR112020016227A2 (en) |
GB (1) | GB201802166D0 (en) |
RU (1) | RU2751737C1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2019155200A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
BR112018074654B1 (en) * | 2016-06-30 | 2023-03-07 | Philip Morris Products S.A. | RECLOSABLE CONTAINER WITH IMPROVED RECLOSABLE ADHESIVE LABEL |
KR20220104720A (en) * | 2019-11-27 | 2022-07-26 | 쥐.디 에스.피.에이. | packet of smoking articles |
Family Cites Families (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5526559A (en) * | 1994-03-09 | 1996-06-18 | Philip Morris Incorporated | Method of making a cigarette package |
DE102006007827A1 (en) * | 2006-02-17 | 2007-08-30 | Focke & Co.(Gmbh & Co. Kg) | Method for producing and / or packaging products (cigarette packets) from blanks and production unit for carrying out the method |
ITBO20070129A1 (en) * | 2007-02-27 | 2007-05-29 | Gd Spa | MACHINE AND METHOD FOR THE APPLICATION OF PACKAGE LABELS. |
DE102014011396A1 (en) * | 2014-08-06 | 2016-02-11 | Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co. Kg) | cigarette pack |
GB201421707D0 (en) * | 2014-12-05 | 2015-01-21 | British American Tobacco Co | Pack of tobacco industry products |
US11661268B2 (en) * | 2015-10-26 | 2023-05-30 | R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company | Product package |
DE102015013734A1 (en) * | 2015-10-26 | 2017-04-27 | Plasmatreat Gmbh | Apparatus and method for the pretreatment of cardboard blanks for the production of cigarette packs and cigarette packs |
-
2018
- 2018-02-09 US US16/967,994 patent/US20210032013A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2018-02-09 GB GBGB1802166.7A patent/GB201802166D0/en not_active Ceased
-
2019
- 2019-02-06 RU RU2020126373A patent/RU2751737C1/en active
- 2019-02-06 JP JP2020542751A patent/JP7082672B2/en active Active
- 2019-02-06 BR BR112020016227-2A patent/BR112020016227A2/en unknown
- 2019-02-06 WO PCT/GB2019/050314 patent/WO2019155200A1/en unknown
- 2019-02-06 EP EP19705992.6A patent/EP3749580B1/en active Active
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20210032013A1 (en) | 2021-02-04 |
RU2751737C1 (en) | 2021-07-16 |
JP7082672B2 (en) | 2022-06-08 |
EP3749580A1 (en) | 2020-12-16 |
GB201802166D0 (en) | 2018-03-28 |
JP2021512824A (en) | 2021-05-20 |
BR112020016227A2 (en) | 2020-12-08 |
WO2019155200A1 (en) | 2019-08-15 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US10815049B2 (en) | Pack of tobacco industry products with permanent adhesive and cut | |
US20200198877A1 (en) | A pack | |
US20170341852A1 (en) | Wrapper for Tobacco Industry Products | |
EP3749580B1 (en) | Method and machine for the packaging of tobacco products | |
WO2016001662A1 (en) | A package | |
EP3906202B1 (en) | Laminate for a wrapped bundle of tobacco industry products, wrapped bundle of tobacco industry products, pack of tobacco industry products and method of manufacturing such a laminate | |
WO2018134595A1 (en) | A wrapped bundle | |
JP7079346B2 (en) | package | |
JP7150859B2 (en) | package | |
EP3571132B1 (en) | Inner frame for a pack of tobacco industry products | |
US20230249898A1 (en) | A consumable pack | |
WO2019175535A1 (en) | A pack |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: UNKNOWN |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION HAS BEEN MADE |
|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: REQUEST FOR EXAMINATION WAS MADE |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20200721 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: BA ME |
|
DAV | Request for validation of the european patent (deleted) | ||
DAX | Request for extension of the european patent (deleted) | ||
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: EXAMINATION IS IN PROGRESS |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20210803 |
|
GRAP | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: GRANT OF PATENT IS INTENDED |
|
INTG | Intention to grant announced |
Effective date: 20211130 |
|
GRAS | Grant fee paid |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR3 |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE PATENT HAS BEEN GRANTED |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: B1 Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: FG4D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: CH Ref legal event code: EP |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: AT Ref legal event code: REF Ref document number: 1491239 Country of ref document: AT Kind code of ref document: T Effective date: 20220515 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R096 Ref document number: 602019014839 Country of ref document: DE |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: IE Ref legal event code: FG4D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: RO Ref legal event code: EPE |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: LT Ref legal event code: MG9D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: NL Ref legal event code: MP Effective date: 20220511 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: AT Ref legal event code: MK05 Ref document number: 1491239 Country of ref document: AT Kind code of ref document: T Effective date: 20220511 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: PT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220912 Ref country code: NO Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220811 Ref country code: NL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: LT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: HR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: GR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220812 Ref country code: FI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: BG Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220811 Ref country code: AT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: RS Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: PL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: LV Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: IS Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220911 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SM Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: SK Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: ES Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: EE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: DK Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: CZ Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R097 Ref document number: 602019014839 Country of ref document: DE |
|
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: AL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 |
|
26N | No opposition filed |
Effective date: 20230214 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 |
|
P01 | Opt-out of the competence of the unified patent court (upc) registered |
Effective date: 20230505 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: MC Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: CH Ref legal event code: PL |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: BE Ref legal event code: MM Effective date: 20230228 |
|
GBPC | Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20230206 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: LU Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230206 Ref country code: LI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230228 Ref country code: CH Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230228 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: IE Ref legal event code: MM4A |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230206 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: IT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220511 Ref country code: IE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230206 Ref country code: GB Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230206 Ref country code: FR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230228 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: BE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230228 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: RO Payment date: 20240125 Year of fee payment: 6 Ref country code: DE Payment date: 20240219 Year of fee payment: 6 |