GB2260757A

GB2260757A - A non-rigid type packet of cigarettes

Info

Publication number: GB2260757A
Application number: GB9221305A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fulvio Boldrini; Antonio Gamberini
Original assignee: GD SpA
Current assignee: GD SpA
Priority date: 1991-10-24
Filing date: 1992-10-09
Publication date: 1993-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2012-10-09
Also published as: GB2260757B; IT1253224B; ITBO910395A0; DE4235439A1; GB9221305D0; ITBO910395A1

Abstract

A packet comprises an inner wrapper (3) enveloping a group of cigarettes (2), and an outer wrapper (4), each exhibiting a front face (5, 6) and a roar face (7, 8), two flank faces (9, 10), and at least one folded end face (11, 12) made up of two long flaps (13, 14; 15, 16) and two short flaps (17, 18) extending from and articulated respectively with the front and rear faces (5, 6; 7, 8) and with the flanks (9, 10). In the finished packet, the longer flaps (15, 16) of the outer wrapper (4) overlap one another and are joined by a first layer of adhesive material (21); a second layer of adhesive material (22) is applied to one flap (15) of the outer wrapper (4), over an area destined to enter into contact with the folded end face (11) of the inner wrapper (3). <IMAGE>

Description

2 1-3 #) 3 ') ' 1 A non-rigid type packet of cigarettes The present

invention relates to a non-rigid or crush type packet of cigarettes. More particularly the invention relates to a packet consisting in an inner wrapper, enveloping a group of cigarettes, and an outer wrapper. The inner wrapper is fashioned generally from a leaf of tin foil paper, i.e. plain paper faced with metallic tissue, whereas the outer wrapper consists in a leaf of paper alone. Conventionally, an additional overwrapping layer of transparent material envelops the whole. In the finished packet, the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper both assume a substantially tubular configuration, produced by joining together the longitudinal edges of the respective papers, with at least one end enclosed. Each wrapper exhibits a front face and a rear face directed one toward the other, two flank faces similarly disposed, and at least one enclosed end. More precisely, the inner wrapper is fastened at both top and bottom so as to 2 is present two enclosed ends, whilst the outer wrapper is fastened only at the bottom and affords just the one enclosed end, coinciding with the ends of the cigarettes destined ultimately to be lit. The two wrappers embodied in this manner are then enveloped in a further overwrapping of transparent material, as aforementioned. Each enclosed end comprises two longitudinal flaps of substantially trapezoidal shape extending from and articulated along the greater trapezoidal base with the front and rear faces of the packet, and two lateral flaps of rectangular shape extending from and articulated with the two flank faces. The longitudinal and lateral flaps are established by creases formed during the operation of assembling the packet, the four flaps of each end occupying a single portion of the respective leaf of material from which the inner or outer wrapper is fashioned; the creases also establish areas of substantially triangular shape by which the longitudinal and lateral flaps are interconnected. In the finished packet, that is to say, with the various folds made along the lines of the corresponding creases, the longitudinal flaps appear partly overlapping one another and flattened also over the lateral flaps 3 is with the triangular connecting areas lying between. To enable the definitive and stable assembly of a cigarette packet embodied in this manner, a layer of adhesive material is applied to the outermost longitudinal flap of the outer wrapper, along the surface overlapping the corresponding innermost longitudinal flap, in such a way as to secure the enclosed bottom end. It will be clear enough that the expressions outermost and innermost are used in this instance to denote the positions of the flaps, in relation to the packet as a whole, on completion of the assembly operation. As regards the inner wrapper, which is in direct contact with the cigarettes, the possibility of applying an adhesive material to ensure a stable closure must be excluded given that the adhesive material might penetrate through the wrapper and reach the cigarettes. A packet of cigarettes fashioned in this manner betrays the drawback that shreds of tobacco lost from the ends of the cigarettes find their way out of the inner wrapper, initially, then out of the outer wrapper also, becoming lodged between this and the transparent overwrapping and detracting somewhat from the general appearance of the packet.

4 Moreover, in the event that the overwrapping is removed altogether from a packet of cigarettes that has been broken open, the loose shreds of tobacco will be dispersed freely. The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above. The stated object is realized, according to the invention, in a crush type packet of cigarettes comprising an inner wrapper enveloping a group of cigarettes and an outer wrapper enveloping the inner wrapper, each wrapper exhibiting a front face and a rear face directed one toward the other, two flank faces similarly disposed, and at least one end face consisting in two longitudinal flaps of substantially trapezoidal shape extending from and articulated along the greater trapezoidal base with the front face and rear face, and two rectangular lateral flaps extending from and articulated with the flank faces, wherein the longitudinal flaps and the lateral flaps are defined by creases serving also to define areas of substantially triangular shape interconnecting the longitudinal and lateral flaps, in such a way that the end face appears with the two longitudinal flaps partly overlapping one another and flattened over the lateral flaps with is the interconnecting areas sandwiched between, and the folded end face of the outer wrapper is secured by a layer of adhesive material applied to the overlapping area of at least one of the relative longitudinal flaps, characterized in that a second layer of adhesive material is applied to at least one of the remaining flaps of the outer wrapper, over an area destined to enter into contact with the folded end face of the inner wrapper. The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which: -fig 1 illustrates a crush type packet according to the present invention, seen in perspective with certain parts cut away better to reveal others, and with the bottom end of the outer wrapper open; -fig 2 illustrates a crush type packet according to the present invention, seen in perspective with certain parts cut away better to reveal others; -fig 3 illustrates a crush type packet according to the present invention, seen in perspective with certain parts cut away better to reveal others, and with the inner wrapper and the group of cigarettes partly extracted from the outer wrapper; -figs 4 and 5 are the plan views of two different 6 leaves of material from which to fashion the outer wrapper of a packet of cigarettes according to the present invention. Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 denotes a crush type packet of cigarettes according to the present invention, in its entirety, which consists in a group of cigarettes 2 enveloped by an inner wrapper 3, an outer wrapper 4, and an overwrapping of transparent material denoted 25. The inner wrapper 3 is fashioned generally from a foil paper, i.e. plain paper faced on one side with tin or silver foil, whereas the outer wrapper 4 is most commonly of paper alone. In the fully assembled packet, the inner wrapper 3 and the outer wrapper 4 exhibit respective front faces 5, 6 and rear faces 7, 8 disposed facing one another, two respective flank faces 9, 10 similarly disposed, and two folded end faces denoted 11 and 12 respectively. The end denoted 11 is composed of two longitudinal flaps 13 and 14 and two lateral flaps 17, and in identical manner, the end denoted 12 consists of two longitudinal flaps 15 and 16 and two lateral flaps 18. The longitudinal flaps 13-14, 15-16 are of substantially trapezoidal shape, each extending 1 7 from the corresponding front face 5 and 6 and rear face 7 and 8 of the respective inner and outer wrapper, and articulated with the face in question along its greater trapezoidal base. The lateral flaps 17 and 18 are of rectangular appearance, extending from and articulated with the flank faces 9 and 10 of the relative wrapper. Each of figs 4 and 5 illustrates a flat leaf 23 of material from which to fashion an outer wrapper 4; reference will be made also to these drawings when describing the inner wrapper 3, which differs from the outer wrapper 4 only in that it has two folded ends 11 rather than just the one, as discernible from fig 3. Referring to figs 4 and 5, it will be observed that the longitudinal flaps 15 and 16 and the lateral flaps 18 are defined by creases 24, formed during the operation of fashioning the outer wrapper 4. These same creases 24 also establish areas 20 of substantially triangular appearance by which the longitudinal flaps 15 and 16 and lateral flaps 18 are interconnected; similarly, were 23 to denote the leaf of material from which the inner wrapper 3 is folded, the creases 24 would serve to establish the corresponding longitudinal flaps 13 and 14 and 8 lateral flaps 17 and the relative interconnecting areas 19 of triangular shape. With the packet ultimately folded, as in figs 1, 2 and 3, the longitudinal flaps 13, 14, 15 and 16 are disposed with their projecting edges overlapping one another and flattened over the relative lateral flaps 17 and 18 with the respective interconnecting triangles 19 and 20 sandwiched between. 21 denotes a layer of adhesive material applied to the outer wrapper 4, and more exactly to the face of the outermost longitudinal flap 16 overlapping the innermost longitudinal flap 15, of which the function is to secure the relative end face 12. 22 denotes a second layer of adhesive material, applied to at least one of the remaining flaps 15 and/or 18 of the outer wrapper 4 in such a way as to enter into contact at least with the innermost longitudinal flap 13 presented by the folded end face 11 of the inner wrapper 3, as shown in figs 1 and 2. In the example illustrated, the second layer of adhesive material 22 is applied to the inside face of the longitudinal flap 15 in a position such as to ensure contact with both of the longitudinal flaps 13 and 14 lying beneath; with this solution, 9 the longitudinal flap 15 and the second layer of adhesive material 22 combine to function in the manner of a length of adhesive tape holding the two adjacent longitudinal flaps 13 and 14 together. Accordingly, 221 denotes the adhesive material that will ultimately be tacked to the two longitudinal flaps 13 and 14 of the inner wrapper 3 (see figs 1 and 2). In response to different product requirements, the second layer of adhesive material 22 applied to the innermost longitudinal flap 15 might occupy only a central area as shown in figs 1 to 3, or extend the entire length of the flap as illustrated in fig 4, where the first layer of adhesive material 21 also runs the full length of the outermost longitudinal flap 16. Fig 5 shows a particular embodiment in which the second layer of adhesive material 22 extends the entire length of the longitudinal flaps 15 and 16, lateral flaps 18 and triangular interconnecting areas 20, in such a way as to enter into contact both with the longitudinal flaps 13 and 14 and with the lateral flaps 17 of the inner wrapper 3 and in practice create a total seal across the bottom end face 11.

1 i The principal advantage afforded by the invention is that of its simplicity, given that the object is achieved simply by varying the duration of the cycle implemented by the gumming means, for example to produce the embodiments shown in figs 4 and 5.

11 claims 1) A non-rigid or crush type packet of cigarettes comprising an inner wrapper enveloping a group of cigarettes and an outer wrapper enveloping the inner wrapper, each such wrapper exhibiting a front face and a rear face directed one toward the other, two flank faces similarly disposed, and at least one end face consisting in two longitudinal flaps of substantially trapezoidal shape respectively extending from and articulated along the greater trapezoidal base with the front face and the rear face, and two rectangular lateral flaps extending from and articulated with the flank faces, wherein the longitudinal flaps and the lateral flaps are defined by creases serving also to define areas of substantially triangular shape interconnecting the longitudinal and lateral flaps, in such a manner that the end face appears with the two longitudinal flaps partly overlapping one another and flattened over the lateral flaps with the interconnecting areas sandwiched between, and the folded end face 12 of the outer wrapper is secured by a first layer of adhesive material applied to the overlapping area of at least one of the relative longitudinal flaps, characterized in that a second layer of adhesive material is applied to at least one of the remaining flaps of the outer wrapper, over an area destined to enter into contact with the corresponding folded end face of the inner wrapper.

2) A non-rigid packet of cigarettes as in claim 1, wherein the second layer of adhesive material is applied to at least one of the remaining flaps of the outer wrapper, over an area destined to enter into contact with the innermost longitudinal flap of the corresponding folded end face of the inner wrapper.

A non-rigid packet of cigarettes as in claim 1 or 2 wherein the second layer of adhesive material is applied to at least one of the remaining flaps of the outer wrapper, over an area destined to enter into contact with both longitudinal flaps of the corresponding folded end face of the inner wrapper.

13 4) 5)-- 6) A non-rigid packet of cigarettes as in claim 3, wherein the second layer of adhesive material is applied to the innermost longitudinal flap of the end face of the outer wrapper, over a central area excluding the endmost parts destined to enter into contact with the triangular interconnecting areas.

A non-rigid packet of cigarettes as in claim 4, wherein the first layer and/or the second layer of adhesive material occupies the full length of the respective longitudinal flaps of the end face of the outer wrapper.

A non-rigid packet of cigarettes as in claim 1, wherein the second layer of adhesive material is applied both to the innermost longitudinal flap and to the lateral flaps of the outer wrapper, over areas destined to enter into contact with the corresponding folded end face of the inner wrapper.

A non-rigid packet of cigarettes substantially as described with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings.