GB2511311A

GB2511311A - A blank of wrapping material

Info

Publication number: GB2511311A
Application number: GB1303445.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Hodges
Original assignee: British American Tobacco Investments Ltd; British American Tobacco Co Ltd
Current assignee: British American Tobacco Investments Ltd
Priority date: 2013-02-27
Filing date: 2013-02-27
Publication date: 2014-09-03
Also published as: WO2014132038A1; RU2015140991A; CA2902357A1; US20160009483A1; KR20150122225A; AU2014222475A1; GB201303445D0; BR112015020796A2; CN105121305A; MX2015011038A; JP2016514073A; CL2015002395A1

Abstract

A blank of wrapping material 3 foldable about a tobacco industry product comprises a peripheral edge 14e with a non-linear profile which, when the wrapping material is folded around a tobacco industry product (figure 2) the peripheral edge 14e overlaps another peripheral edge. The non-linear profile may be a zigzag. When wrapped around a tobacco industry product, the peripheral edge with the non-linear profile 14e may be located uppermost (figure 2). The blank may comprise a portion 13 which is separable from the remainder of the wrapping material and at least one edge of this removable portion has a non-linear profile. A bundle of smoking articles are also claimed for, the bundle comprising a wrap formed from the blank and a charge of smoking articles. This bundle of smoking articles may be received in a smoking article pack with a lid which closes over an edge of the wrapping material with the non-linear profile.

Description

A blank of wrapping material

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a blank of wrapping material for enclosing a tobacco industry product. A blank of wrapping material for enclosing a charge of smoking artides and a bunifie of smoking articles received in a pack are also disclosed.

Background

io Smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos, are typically bundled together and wrapped in a sheet of material, for example, a sheet of paper laminated with metal foil. The sheet of material helps to preserve the freshness and the aroma of the tobacco in the smoking articles. The wrapped bundle of smoking articles is further stored in a pack which protects the cigarettes from i mechanical and environmental damage. The pack can be enclosed in an outer transparent plastic film so as to further ensure that the smoking articles are protected from any environmental impact.

To access the smoking artides, a user pulls on a tab of the p'astic film such that the plastic film tears open. Thereafter, the user opens a lid of the pack such that the laminated paper is exposed. The paper is typicafly formed with a line of weakness, such as perforations, so that a user can easily separate a portion from the remainder of the paper by tearing it along the line of perforations so as to gain access to the smoking articles held within.

Summary

According to the present invention, there is provided a blank of wrapping material f&dable about a tobacco industry product having a peripheral edge, wherein at least part of the peripheral edge has a non-linear profile, and when the blank of wrapping 3o material is folded about a tobacco industry product, the at least part of the edge having a non-linear profile overlaps another part of the peripheral edge.

In one embodiment, the at least part of the edge having a non-linear profile is uppermost when the blank of wrapping material is folded about a tobacco industry s prod uct.

In one embodiment, the blank of wrapping material comprises a portion that is separable from a remainder of the blank of wrapping material and at least an edge of the removahle portion has a nonlinear profile. The non-linear profile may be in the form of a zigzag.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a bundle of smoking articles for insertion into a smoking article pack comprising a charge of smoking articles and a wrapping material enclosing the charge of smoking articles, the wrapping material having overlapping edges, wherein at least one edge has a non-linear profile. I0

In one embodiment, the wrapping material comprises a portion that is separable from a remainder of the wrapping material and at least an edge of the removable portion has a non-linear profile.

The non-linear profile may be in the form of a zigzag.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a smoking artide pack having a bundle of smoking articles as described above received therein, the pack comprising a body and a lid that closes over an edge of the wrapping material having a non-linear profile.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a transparent front view of a wrapped bundle of smoking articles according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the wrapped bundle of smoking articles shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a top view of the wrapped bundle of smoking articles shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 shows a blank of wrapping material for wrapping a charge of smoking o articles; Figure 5 shows a top view of another embodiment of the wrapped bundle of smoking artides according to the present invention; and Figure 6 shows a pack for receiving a wrapped bundle of smoking articles according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to a sheet or a blank of wrapping material 3 for enclosing or being folded about a tobacco industry product, for example, a charge of smoking articles.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figures 1 and 2 a charge of io smoking artides 1 wrapped in a wrapping to form a bundle for insertion into a smoking artide pack. The wrapping comprises an elongate sheet or blank of wrapping material 3, as illustrated in figure 4, which encloses the charge of smoking articles 1 such that said smoking articles are arranged in rows with the longitudinal axis A' of each smoking article being parallel to one another. The e'ongate sheet of materia' 3 may be formed from foil or paper laminated with foil.

The sheet or blank of material 3 encloses the charge of smoking articles 1. It is folded about the charge of smoking articles such that it forms a front wall 4 and a rear wall (not shown), wherein the front 4 and rear walls are parallel to the longitudinal axis A' of the smoking articles. The sheet of material 3 also forms a bottom wall 5 facing the combustible end 6 of the smoking articles. Furthermore, the sheet of material forms side walls 8, 9 and a top wall ii of the wrapped bundle of smoking articles 2 as will now be described.

The side walls 8, 9 comprises side flaps a, 4b (only right side flaps are visible in Figure 2) that extend from the front 4 and rear walls towards the sides of the bundle and that are folded around onto the sides of the smoking articles. The flaps a extending from the front wall 4 over'ap the flaps 4b extending from the rear wafi.

Similarly, top flaps ia, 14b, 14c, 14d extending from the front wall 4, rear wall and the two side wafls 5, 9 in an opposite direction to the bottom wall 5 are folded across the mouth end 7 of the smoking articles so as to form the top wall ii. The top flaps inc, 14d extending form the side walls 8, 9 are folded first, thereafter the top flap 14b extending from the rear wall is folded and lastly the top flap ia extending from the front wall 4 is folded such that it overlaps all the other top flaps 14b, 14c, 14d.

The sheet of material 3 comprises a fine of weakness 12. This fine can be scored, perforated or punctured so as to form a weakened line. The line of weakness 12 extends between opposite long edges of the sheet of material 3 such that it defines a portion 13 of the sheet of material. When the sheet of material 3 encloses the charge of smoking articles 1, the line of weakness 12 is located on the front wall 4 and on its corresponding side flaps a (only one flap is visible in io Figure 2) which forms part of the side wafls 8,9 of the bundle. Thus, the portion 13 forms an upper end of the wrapped charge of smoking artides.

To remove the portion 13 from the wrapped charge of smoking articles, a user pulls on the top flap ia extending from the front wall 4 of the wrapped charge of smoking artides 2 such that wrapping tears or separates &ong the line of weakness 12. The user pufis in a direction paraUe to the ongitudin& axis A' of the smoking artides which is represented by an arrow (B') in Figures 2 and 3.

This direction is referred to as a first direction.

The top flap ia extending from the front and forming part of the top wall ii, comprises a leading edge ie as is best seen in Figure 3. The leading edge ie has a zigzag shaped profile such that the leading edge is longer than in a conventional wrapped charge of smoking articles where the corresponding leading edge is straight or linear. The general direction of the leading edge is parallel to the front 4 and rear walls of the wrapped charge of smoking articles 2.

Advantageously, the zigzag shaped longer edge ie increases the friction between the bundle of smoking articles 2 and the smoking article pack in which it is received reducing the risk of lid of the smoking article pack from accidentally opening.

In an ahernative embodiment, the eading edge 15 of the flap ia extending from the front wall 4 is curved as seen in Figure 5.

The leading edge of the top flap ia that lies uppermost is not limited to following the paths or be formed into the shapes described above. It should be appreciated that the scope of the invention includes any configuration where at least a portion of the leading edge of the uppermost top flap is configured to follow a non-linear path. For example, the leading edge of the uppermost top flap ida, 14b may alternativdy follow a wavy or an oscillating path.

The present invention is not limited to the top flap ia extending from the front wall 4 lying uppermost. It should be appreciated that the top flap 14b extending from the rear wall may lie uppermost. Thus, in this embodiment, the top flap 14b extending from the rear wall comprises a leading edge having at least a portion which is configured to follow a non-linear path. I0

In yet another un-illustrated embodiment, the uppermost side flap a, 4b which extends from the front and/or rear wall comprises a leading edge which has at least a portion which follows a non-linear path. Thus, the side flap(s) extending from the front and/or rear wall which lies uppermost comprises a leading edge which may follow a zigzag, curved, wavy or oscillating path as described above. It shoffid be appreciated that the leading edge of the uppermost side flaps and the top flap may follow a particular path.

The bundle of smoking articles is receivable in a smoking article pack.

Preferably, the smoking article pack 20 comprises a body 21 and lid 22 as seen in figure 6, wherein the lid 22 can be opened and closed so as to provide access to the bundle of smoking articles.

In the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, the leading edge of the uppermost flap extending from the front wall 4 is concealed when the pack is closed, and visible when the lid is opened.

It should be appreciated that the bundle of smoking articles 2 as described above is not limited to the pack described herein. The bundle of smoking articles can be inserted into any pack which enaNes a charge of smoking articles to be wrapped in a wrapping having a removable portion so as to access smoking articles held therein.

As used herein, the term "smoking article" includes smokeable products such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes and also heat-not-burn products. The smoking article maybe provided with a filter for the gaseous flow drawn by the smoker.

Furthermore, the bthnk of wrapping material according to the present invention can be folded about any tobacco industry product and so is not limited to enclosing a charge of smoking articles.

A tobacco industry product refers to any item made in, or sold by the tobacco industry, typically including a) cigarettes, cigarfllos, cigars, tobacco for pipes or io for rofi-your-own cigarettes, (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes); b) non-smoking products incorporating tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes such as snuff, snus, hard tobacco, and heat-not-burn products; and c) other nicotine-delivery systems such as inhalers, lozenges and gum. This list is not intended to be exchisive, but mere'y iflustrates a range of products which are made and sold in the tobacco industry.

A tobacco industry pack refers to any pack that can contain and/or receive a tobacco industry product.

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 for superior bundle of smoking articles or superior blanks of wrapping 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 principles. It should be understood that they are not representative of all claimed inventions. As such, certain aspects of the disclosure have not been discussed herein. That afternate embodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of the invention or that further undescribed alternate embodiments may be available for a portion is not to be considered a disdaimer of those afternate embodiments. It will be appreciated that many of those undescribed embodiments incorporate the same principles of the invention and others are equivalent. Thus, it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the disclosure. As such, all examples, implementations, and/or embodiments are deemed to be non-limiting throughout this disclosure. Also, no inference should be drawn regarding those embodiments discussed herein relative to those not discussed herein other than it is as such for purposes of reducing space and repetition. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. Some of the disclosed features, elements, implementation, etc., may be mutually contradictory, in that they cannot be simultaneously present in a single embodiment. Similarly, some features are applicable to one aspect of the Jo disdosure, and inappficable to others. In addition, the disdosure includes other inventions not present'y claimed. Appficant reserves all rights in those present'y unclaimed inventions including the right to claim such inventions, file additional applications, continuations, continuations in part, divisions, and/or the like thereof. As such, it should be understood that advantages, embodiments, examp'es, function, features, structural, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered Umitations on the disdosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the daims.

Claims

Claims 1. A hiank of wrapping material f&dabe about a tobacco industry product having a peripheral edge, wherein at least part of the peripheral edge has a nonlinear profile, and when the blank of wrapping material is folded about a tobacco industry product, the at least part of the edge having a non-linear profile overlaps another part of the peripheral edge.
2. A blank of wrapping material according to claim 1, wherein the at least part of io the edge having a non-linear profile is uppermost when the blank of wrapping material is folded about a tobacco industry product.
3. A blank of wrapping material according to any preceding claim, wherein the blank of wrapping material comprises a portion that is separable from a remainder of the bth]lk of wrapping material and at least an edge of the removable portion has a non-linear profile.
4. A blank of wrapping material according to any preceding claim, where the non-linear profile is in the form of a zigzag.
5. A bundle of smoking articles for insertion into a smoking article pack comprising a charge of smoking articles and a wrapping material enclosing the charge of smoking articles, the wrapping material having overlapping edges, wherein at least one edge has a non-linear profile.
6. A bundle of smoking articles according to claim, wherein the wrapping material comprises a portion that is separable from a remainder of the wrapping material and at least an edge of the removable portion has a non-linear profile.
7. A bunifie of smoking artides according to claim 5 or daim 6, where the non-linear profile is in the form of a zigzag.
8. A smoking article pack having a bunifie of smoking artides according to any of claims to 7 received therein, the pack comprising a body and a lid that closes over an edge of the wrapping material having a non-linear profile.
9. A blank of wrapping material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings
10. A bundle of smoking artides substantiafly as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.