ES2612337T3 - Method for packaging finished tobacco products, in a master box - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for packaging finished tobacco products, in a master box (5), comprising the steps of: - folding an inner PE coating (1), which is provided with an EVOH barrier, or an inner aluminum coating inside the master box (5), - fill the master box, with inner lining, of finished tobacco products, - place some sacks (11) with oxygen absorbers in the master box, - place the master box in a vacuum room ( 15), - reduce the pressure in the vacuum room, and in the inner lining and the master box, - inject nitrogen into the vacuum room and / or the master box, - repeat the steps of reducing the pressure and injecting various nitrogen times, and - seal the inner lining (1) and the master box (5).

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Method for packaging finished tobacco products, in a master box Technical field of the invention

The invention relates to a method for packaging finished tobacco products, such as cigarettes, pipe tobacco, hand-rolled tobacco cigarettes, in a master box, in particular for filling the master box with carton packs of cigarette packages.

Background of the invention

From document W02008 / 065914A it is known that a master box for packs includes wrapping paper for wrapping a group of packs.

In a known method for packaging cigarettes, in a master box, 10 to 20 cigarettes are packaged in packages, 10 to 20 packages of cigarettes are packaged in a cardboard container and 50 cardboard packages are packaged in a plastic bag that It is stored in the master box. The plastic bag is folded in the master box, and the master box is closed and sealed. Master boxes are stored in containers and transported to logistic channels for end users.

The problems that arise after packaging the master boxes until they reach the end user are:

1. Insects in the package,

2. Moisture, cigarettes dry out,

3. Aging process,

4. Mold, and

5. Fungi.

This results in that cigarettes cannot be consumed and have to be destroyed.

From US2011 / 0042249A1 it is known that certain measures such as interior coatings and the use of a nitrogen atmosphere help preserve tobacco products.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for packaging finished tobacco products, in particular cigarettes, in a master box, in which the above disadvantages are not presented, or at least to a lesser extent. With this purpose, the method according to the invention comprises the steps of:

- folding an inner PE lining, which is provided with an EVOH barrier, or an inner aluminum lining inside the master box,

- fill the master box, with inner lining, of finished tobacco products,

- place some bags with oxygen absorbers in the master box,

- place the master box in a vacuum room,

- reduce the pressure in the vacuum room, and in the inner lining and the master box,

- inject nitrogen into the vacuum room and / or the master box,

- repeat the steps of reducing pressure and injecting nitrogen several times, and

- seal the inner lining and the master box.

The plastic bag of the known method is replaced by an inner PE coating, preferably an inner PE coating, which is provided with an EVOH barrier. The EVOH barrier, together with PE, keeps the environmental conditions within the inner lining at the same level. Due to this, the environmental conditions in the inner lining, without oxygen, will remain the same and the problems mentioned above with 1 to 5 will not occur.

In case the humidity is too high, the bags with moisture absorbers are placed inside the master box, before placing said master box in the vacuum room. The amount depends on the humidity of the tobacco products, the type of tobacco products and the season of the year. The oxygen absorbing bag and the moisture absorbing bag can also be combined in a single bag.

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It should be noted that from US2011 / 042249A a package of tobacco products having a sealed outer wrapping element is known. The envelope element can be multilayer and be configured to contain an internal nitrogen pressure greater than the ambient external air pressure, to aid in the preservation of tobacco products.

In an embodiment of the method according to the invention, the folding of the inner lining inside the master box is done by an automatic machine, which cuts a part of a tubular sheet, seals the bottom part of the inner liner and folds the inner liner inside the master box

In another embodiment of the method according to the invention, the folding of the inner lining inside the master box is done manually by pulling the inner lining, already cut to the correct size, including a seal at the bottom, on a mold having the same size as the master box, pulling the master box on the mold that includes the inner lining, pulling the inner lining on the fins of the master box and pulling the master box that includes the inner lining.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, before placing the master box in the vacuum room, said vacuum room is made to measure with a working space inside that is slightly larger than the master box with the fins in open position.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will also be explained in the following based on the drawings. These drawings show an embodiment of the method for packaging finished tobacco products, in a master box, according to the present invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a first stage of the method, in which the inner lining is folded over a mold;

Figure 2 shows a second stage of the method, in which the master box is placed on the mold and the inner lining;

Figure 3 shows a third stage of the method, in which the master casing with inner lining is removed from the mold;

Figure 4 shows a fourth stage of the method, in which the master liner with inner lining is filled with cartons of cigarettes;

Figure 5 shows a fifth stage of the method, in which the master box with cigarettes is placed in a vacuum room, and the oxygen level is reduced and the master case is sealed with inner lining; Y

Figure 6 shows a sixth stage of the method, in which the vacuum room is opened and the finished master box is removed from said vacuum room.

Detailed description of the drawings

In the figures, later stages of the method for packaging finished tobacco products are shown, in a master box, according to the present invention. A PE 1 inner liner, which is provided with an EVOH barrier, is supplied as a tubular sheet on a roller. A machine (not shown) seals the bottom of the inner liner and cuts a part of the sheet.

Figure 1 shows a first stage of the method, in which the inner lining 1, already cut to the correct size, including a seal at the bottom, is pulled over a mold 3 having the same size as a master box. In a second stage, a master box 5 is pulled over the mold 3 that includes the inner liner 1. This is shown in Figure 2. In a third stage, the master box that includes the inner liner is pulled over the mold and the master box is ready for storage, see figure 3.

In the fourth stage shown in Figure 4, the master box 5 with the inner liner 1 is filled with 50 carton packs 9, 10 packs of 20 cigarettes each. Other quantities are also possible, depending on the type of cigarettes and the size of the cardboard box. The carton packs are placed in the inner lining of PE which, in turn, is already in the master box. After filling, 2 to 3 oxygen absorbers 11 are placed on top of the carton packs. The amount of bags depends on the size / volume of the master box and the type of cigarettes. Oxygen absorbers have the ability to absorb the remaining oxygen and reduce the level of O2. Next to the oxygen absorbent bags, moisture absorbent bags 13 can be placed on top of the carton packs 9 of cigarettes. The amount depends on the humidity of the cigarettes, the type of cigarettes and the season of the year. The oxygen absorbing bag 11 and the moisture absorbing bag 13 can also be combined in a single bag and can also be placed in the lower part of the PE inner lining.

In the fifth stage shown in Figure 5, the master box 5 with cigarettes is placed in a vacuum room 15 and the oxygen level is reduced. The size of the vacuum room depends on the size of the master box and the amount of

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master boxes that have to be handled per hour / day / week. In vacuum room 15, 1, 2 or more master boxes can also be handled at the same time. The vacuum room is always custom made.

In the vacuum room 15 the vacuum process will begin and this is done in such a way that cigarettes and packages are not damaged by the low vacuum, indicated as pressure. The fins 7 of the master box 5 are in a downward position and the PE inner lining is "straight" up and placed between the sealing bar and discharge tubes. When the required vacuum is reached, the nitrogen injection process begins. Entering nitrogen into the vacuum room, and also directly into the inner lining 1, will lower the oxygen level inside the inner lining. Repeating the process of injection of vacuum and nitrogen several times, the level of O2 will be reduced to 2 to 5%. It is possible to further reduce the level of O2, but this will require too much time, and does not fit the customer's logistic process. After the process of injection of vacuum and nitrogen, the inner lining is sealed. This sealing process takes place in the vacuum room. Figure 5 schematically shows the sealing process. The oxygen absorbers 11, which are in the sealed inner liner, absorb the level of O2 remaining in the inner liner 1.

Then, the vacuum room 15 is opened and the master box 5 is removed from the vacuum room, and the fins 7 are folded to the closed position and secured with packing tape. This is illustrated schematically in Figure 6. Then, the master box enters the logistic process. Since cigarettes are stored in an inner liner of PE 1 that is provided with an EVOH barrier, the environmental conditions in the inner liner, without oxygen, will remain the same and the problems mentioned above with 1 to 5 will not occur.

Although the present invention has been explained above based on the drawings provided, it should be noted that this invention is not limited, whatever they may be, to the embodiments shown in the drawings. The invention also extends to all embodiments that deviate from the embodiments shown in the drawings in the context defined by the claims. Instead of cigarettes, the master liner with inner lining can also be filled with other finished tobacco products, for example, pipe tobacco and self-rolling tobacco.

Claims (5)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 1. Method for packaging finished tobacco products, in a master box (5), comprising the steps of: - folding an inner PE liner (1), which is provided with an EVOH barrier, or an inner aluminum liner inside the master box (5), - fill the master box, with inner lining, of finished tobacco products, - place some bags (11) with oxygen absorbers in the master box, - place the master box in a vacuum room (15), - reduce the pressure in the vacuum room, and in the inner lining and the master box, - inject nitrogen into the vacuum room and / or the master box, - repeat the steps of reducing pressure and injecting nitrogen several times, and - seal the inner lining (1) and the master box (5). 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of placing sacks (13) with moisture absorbers inside the master box (5), before placing the master box in the vacuum room (15 ). 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the folding of the inner lining (1) into the master box (5) is done by an automatic machine, which cuts a part of a tubular sheet, seals the bottom part of the inner lining and folds the inner lining into the master box. 4. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the folding of the inner lining (1) into the master box (5) is done manually by pulling the inner lining, already cut to the correct size, including a seal at the bottom , on a mold having the same size as the master box, pulling the master box on the mold that includes the inner lining, pulling the inner lining on the fins (7) of the master box (5) and pulling the box master that includes the inner lining. 5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, before placing the master box (5) in the vacuum room (15), the vacuum room is made to measure with a working space inside which It is slightly larger than the master box with the fins (7) in open position or sideways.