ITBO20090251A1 - PACKAGING WITH A SEALED INTERNAL ENTRY AND ITS RELEVANT METHOD. - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

of the industrial invention entitled:

"Packaging with a sealed inner wrapping and related wrapping method."

TECHNIQUE SECTOR

The present invention relates to a package with a sealed internal wrapping and to a related wrapping method.

The present invention can find advantageous application in a packet of cigarettes, to which the following discussion will make explicit reference without thereby losing generality.

ANTERIOR ART

Cigarette packets are known comprising a rigid box provided with a hinged lid, housing a group of cigarettes, and made by folding a blank of cardboard around the group of cigarettes itself.

Cigarettes are very sensitive to the effects of the external environment, as in contact with the atmosphere they tend to change their organoleptic characteristics in particular due to variations in humidity (tobacco can dry out too much or it can absorb too much humidity) . To preserve the integrity of the cigarettes, the packets of cigarettes are normally cellophane-wrapped, that is, they are covered with an external heat-sealed overwrapping made of waterproof plastic material. However, the heat-sealed external overwrapping may not be sufficient to completely preserve the organoleptic characteristics of the cigarettes contained in the packets, especially when the packets themselves are used after a significant period of time from their production. Furthermore, when a packet of cigarettes is opened for the first time, the external overwrapping is removed and therefore the cigarettes contained in the packet come into contact with the external environment; if all the cigarettes contained in the packet are not consumed quickly after the first opening of the packet, the organoleptic characteristics of the residual cigarettes can be degraded.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to produce a package with a sealed internal wrapping, which package is free from the drawbacks described above and is at the same time easy and economical to produce.

In accordance with the present invention, a package with a sealed internal wrapping and a relative wrapping method according to what is claimed in the attached claims are provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate some non-limiting examples of embodiment, in which:

- figure 1 is a front perspective view and in a closed configuration of a packet of cigarettes made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 1 in an open configuration;

Figure 3 illustrates a front perspective view of a sealed internal wrapping of the cigarette packet of Figure 1;

- figure 4 illustrates a rear perspective view of the internal sealed wrapping of figure 3;

Figure 5 illustrates a plan view of a sheet of stretched wrapping used to make the internal sealed wrapping of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a step of folding the wrapping sheet of Figure 5 to make the internal sealed wrapping of Figure 3;

- figure 7 illustrates a front perspective view of a constructive variant of the sealed internal wrapping of figure 4;

Figure 8 is a front perspective view and in an open configuration of a further embodiment of a packet of cigarettes made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 9 illustrates a front perspective view of a sealed internal wrapping of the cigarette packet of Figure 8; And

- figure 10 illustrates a front perspective view of a constructive variant of the sealed internal wrapping of figure 8.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION In figures 1 and 2 the number 1 indicates as a whole a package consisting of a packet of cigarettes and comprising an external container 2 made of cardboard or rigid cardboard and shaped like a cup and a wrapping 3 sealed interior which is housed inside the 2 external container and encloses a group of cigarettes (not shown).

The external container 2 is made by folding a blank of cardboard or cardboard (not shown) around the sealed internal wrapping 3, has an open upper end 4 and is provided with a lid 5, which is cup-shaped and It is hinged to the container 2 along a hinge 6 to rotate, with respect to the container 2 itself, between an open position (illustrated in Figure 2) and a closed position (illustrated in Figure 1) of the open upper end 4.

The external container 2 has a parallelepiped shape and has an upper wall 7 and a lower wall 8 parallel and opposite to each other, a front wall 9 and a rear wall 10 parallel and opposite to each other, and two side walls 11 parallel and opposite to each other. . Four longitudinal edges are defined between the side walls 11 and the front and rear walls 9, while eight transverse edges are defined between the upper and lower walls 7 and the front, 10 rear and 11 side walls 9.

According to what is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the internal sealed package 3 that encloses the group of cigarettes has a parallelepiped shape and has an upper wall 12 and a lower wall 13 parallel and opposite to each other, a front wall 14 and a wall 15 rear parallel and opposite to each other, and two side walls 16 parallel and opposite to each other. As shown in Figure 5, the sealed internal wrapping 3 is formed by folding a sheet 17 of rectangular wrapping and typically stratified heat-sealable material (i.e. made up of several superimposed layers of which an outer layer is thermoplastic and therefore heat-sealable). As illustrated in figures 3, 4 and 5, the sealed internal wrapping 3 has an extraction window 18, which is delimited by a weakening line 19 of the wrapping sheet 17 and extends into the upper wall 12 of the wrapping. ™ 3 sealed internal wrapping. At the first opening of the package 1, a user tears off the wrapping sheet 17 along the weakening line 19 to open the extraction window 18 and thus be able to access the inside of the sealed internal wrapping 3. The weakening line 19 consists of a controlled depth incision which locally reduces the resistance of the wrapping sheet 17 to tearing to approximately 10-20% of the resistance of the intact wrapping sheet 17; the weakening line 19 can be made by mechanical engraving using special calibrated knives or, in the case of stratified materials, also by selective cutting of one or more layers using a laser beam which acts only on the layers to be cut.

According to the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the weakening line 19 that defines the extraction window 18 is open and U-shaped so as to make the portion of the wrapping sheet 17 included inside the line 19 of movable weakening along a hinge line between a closed position and an open position. According to a different embodiment not shown, the weakening line 19 that defines the extraction window 18 is closed so as to make the portion of the wrapping sheet 17 included inside the weakening line 19 separable and eliminable at the first opening of the sealed internal package 3 (that is, when opening the package 1 for the first time).

According to a possible embodiment, a grip tab 20 is provided which is fixed (glued or heat-sealed) to an external surface of the extraction window 18 and protrudes outwards from the external surface of the extraction window 18; typically, the gripping tab 20 is arranged inside the extraction window 18 in proximity to a lower edge of the weakening line 19. In use, a user can grasp the grip tab 20 with his fingers so as to be able to easily exert a traction on the extraction window 18 to determine the opening of the extraction window 18 itself. According to an alternative embodiment, an external surface of the extraction window 18 is glued to an internal surface of the lid 5 of the external container 2; in this way, the opening / closing of the lid 5 also automatically determines the opening / closing of the extraction window 18, making the use of the package 1 particularly simple and fast. According to a further embodiment, it would be possible to carry out the first opening of the extraction window 18 by tearing the wrapping sheet 17 along the weakening line 19 simply by pressing, i.e. by slightly pressing the extraction window 18 towards the inside of the 3 sealed inner wrapping.

According to what is illustrated in Figure 5, the wrapping sheet 17 has a rectangular shape and has two transverse flaps 21, which are arranged at longitudinally opposite ends of the wrapping sheet 17 and are superimposed and heat-sealed together by means of a transversal seal. Furthermore, the wrapping sheet 17 has two longitudinal flaps 22, which are arranged at transversely opposite ends of the wrapping sheet 17 and each of which is folded on itself and heat-sealed by means of a longitudinal seal to define a wall 16 side of the sealed internal wrapping 3; alternatively, each side wall 16 of the sealed internal wrapping 3 can be defined by two longitudinal flaps 22 mutually superimposed and welded.

Between the two transverse flaps 21 and between the two longitudinal flaps 22, the wrapping sheet 17 has a portion 15â € ™ which constitutes a part of the rear wall 15, a portion 12â € ™ which constitutes the upper wall 12, a portion 14â € Which constitutes the front wall 14, a portion 13â € ™ which constitutes the lower wall 13, and a portion 15â € which constitutes a remaining part of the rear wall 15.

The folding steps of the wrapping sheet 17 are partially illustrated in Figure 6 and involve initially folding the wrapping sheet 17 into a "U" shape around the group of cigarettes; at this point, as illustrated in Figure 6, the wrapping sheet 17 is further folded around the group of cigarettes to form a tubular wrapping having two open lateral ends (only one of which is illustrated in Figure 6) in correspondence with the two flaps 22 lengthwise of the wrapping sheet 17. According to what is illustrated in Figure 6, when the tubular wrapping is formed the two transversal flaps 21 are arranged perpendicular to the rear wall 15 of the internal sealed wrapping 3 and are then superimposed and heat-sealed while remaining perpendicular to the rear wall 15 itself; subsequently, the two transversal flaps 21 superimposed on each other and heat-sealed are folded together against the rear wall 15 of the internal sealed package 3. In this way, the two transversal flaps 21 are heat-sealed to each other by means of a pincer which presses the two superimposed transversal flaps 21 against each other without pressing against the group of cigarettes in any way. It is important to underline that by varying the position of the wrapping sheet 17 with respect to the group of cigarettes, it is possible to move the position of the overlapping portions of the two transverse flaps 21 up or down.

Once the tubular wrapping has been stabilized by heat-sealing the overlapping portions of the two transversal flaps 21, the wrapping sheet 17 is completed around the group of cigarettes to define the internal sealed wrapping 3 by folding on themselves and heat-sealing the two longitudinal flaps 22 of the wrapping sheet 17.

As illustrated in Figures 1-6, the extraction window 18 extends only into the upper wall 12. According to the different embodiment illustrated in Figures 7-10, the extraction window 18 extends into the upper wall 12 and into the front wall 14 of the internal sealed package 3 over a transverse fold edge between the front wall 14 and the upper wall 12. It is evident that the transversal sealing between the two superimposed transversal flaps 21 is carried out in a portion of the wrapping sheet 17 without the weakening line 19; this feature is very important since thanks to this feature the first opening of the extraction window 18 is extremely simple by tearing the wrapping sheet 17 along the weakening line 19. On the contrary, when the transversal welding between the two superimposed transversal flaps 21 crosses the weakening line 19, the first opening of the extraction window 18 is more difficult as it requires the application by the user of a much greater force than it can also cause the wrapping sheet 17 to tear in parts other than the weakening line 19; this effect is due to the fact that in the points in which the transverse welding between the two superimposed transversal edges 21 crosses the weakening line 19 there is a localized strengthening of the weakening line 19 itself.

Furthermore, the fact that the transversal sealing between the two superimposed transversal flaps 21 is made in a portion of the wrapping sheet 17 without the weakening line 19 (therefore hidden from view) allows to improve the aesthetics of the package 1.

Finally, removing the transversal seal between the two superimposed transversal flaps 21 from the weakening line 19 makes it possible to create a larger extraction window 18 thus facilitating the extraction of the cigarettes through the extraction window 18 itself.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the transverse seal between the two superimposed transverse flaps 21 is arranged in the rear wall 15 of the internal sealed package 3. According to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 7, 9 and 10, the transverse seal between the two superimposed transverse flaps 21 is arranged in the front wall 14 of the sealed internal package 3; in the variant of figures 7 and 9 the transverse weld between the two superimposed transverse flaps 21 is arranged completely below a lower edge of the weakening line 19 which defines the extraction window 18, while in the variant of figure 10 the transverse weld between the two superimposed transversal flaps 21 is arranged partially above a lower edge of the weakening line 19 which defines the extraction window 18 and has a shape that reproduces in negative the shape of a lower portion of the extraction window 18 to surround the lower portion of the extraction window 18 itself.

The package 1 described above has numerous advantages and in particular it is simple and inexpensive to make, it is simple and quick to use and above all it allows to offer an excellent greater protection against external agents to the cigarettes contained in the package 1 itself (particularly in the embodiment in which the extraction window 18 is closed again at the end of the use of the package 1).

Claims (12)

R I V E N D I C A Z I O N I 1) Package including: a group of articles; a sealed internal wrapping (3) that encloses the group of articles, has a parallelepiped shape and has an upper wall (12) and a lower wall (13) parallel and opposite to each other, a front wall (14) and a wall (15 ) rear parallel and opposite to each other, and two side walls (16) parallel and opposite to each other; and an external rigid container (2) that houses the sealed internal wrapping (3), is cup-shaped, and has an open upper end (4) and a lid (5), which is hinged to the container ( 2) external along a hinge (6) to rotate, with respect to the external container (2) itself, between an open position and a closed position of the open upper end (4); the internal sealed wrapping (3) is formed by folding a sheet (17) of wrapping with two transversal flaps (21), which are superimposed and heat-sealed by means of a transversal seal, and two longitudinal flaps (22), each of which it is folded back on itself and heat-sealed by means of a longitudinal seal to define a lateral wall (16) of the internal sealed package (3); And the internal sealed wrapping (3) has an extraction window (18), which is delimited by a weakening line (19) of the wrapping sheet (17) and extends at least partially into the upper wall (12); the package (1) is characterized by the fact that the transversal sealing between the two overlapping transversal flaps (21) is made in a portion of the wrapping sheet (17) without the weakening line (19). 2) Packaging according to claim 1, wherein the transversal seal between the two superimposed transversal flaps (21) is arranged in the rear wall (15) of the sealed inner wrapper (3). 3) Packaging according to claim 1, wherein the transversal seal between the two superimposed transversal flaps (21) is arranged in the lower wall (13) of the sealed inner wrapper (3). 4) Packaging according to claim 1, wherein the transverse seal between the two superimposed transverse flaps (21) is arranged in the front wall (14) of the sealed inner wrapper (3). 5) Packaging according to claim 4, wherein the extraction window (18) also extends into the front wall (14) of the sealed internal package (3) straddling a transverse fold edge between the front wall (14) and the upper wall (12); the transverse weld between the two superimposed transversal flaps (21) is arranged completely below a lower edge of the weakening line (19) which defines the extraction window (18). 6) Packaging according to claim 4, wherein the extraction window (18) also extends into the front wall (14) of the sealed inner package (3) straddling a transverse fold edge between the front wall (14) and the upper wall (12); the transversal weld between the two superimposed transversal flaps (21) is partially arranged above a lower edge of the weakening line (19) which defines the extraction window (18) and has a shape that reproduces in negative the shape of a lower portion of the extraction window (18) to surround the lower portion of the extraction window (18) itself. 7) Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the weakening line (19) that defines the extraction window (18) is open and shaped like a â € œUâ € so as to make the portion of the sheet ( 17) of wrapping included inside the mobile weakening line (19) along a hinge line between a closed position and an open position. 8) Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the weakening line (19) that defines the extraction window (18) is closed so as to make the portion of the wrapping sheet (17) included in the Inside of the weakening line (19) that can be separated and eliminated at the first opening of the sealed internal wrapping (3). 9) Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in which the two transversal flaps (21) are arranged perpendicular to the rest of the wrapping sheet (17) to be superimposed and heat-sealed by means of transversal sealing, and subsequently the two Transversal flaps (21) superimposed on each other and heat-sealed are folded together against the rest of the wrapping sheet (17). 10) Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein an outer surface of the extraction window (18) is glued to an inner surface of the lid (5) of the outer container (2). 11) Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and comprising a grip tab (20) fixed to an external surface of the extraction window (18). 12) Wrapping method for making a package comprising a group of items, and an internal sealed wrapping (3) which is formed by folding a sheet (17) of wrapping, enclosing the group of items, has a parallelepiped shape and has a wall (12) upper and a lower wall (13) parallel and opposite to each other, a front wall (14) and a rear wall (15) parallel and opposite to each other, and two side walls (16) parallel and opposite to each other; the wrapping method includes the steps of: engraving on the wrapping sheet (17) a weakening line (19) which defines an extraction window (18), which extends at least partially into the upper wall (12); overlapping and heat sealing by means of a transversal welding two transversal flaps (21) of the wrapping sheet (17); And overlap on themselves and heat-seal two longitudinal flaps (22) of the wrapping sheet (17) by means of a longitudinal welding to define the lateral walls (16) of the internal sealed wrapping (3); the wrapping method (1) is characterized by the fact that it includes the further steps of carrying out the transversal sealing between the two transversal flaps (21) superimposed in a portion of the wrapping sheet (17) without the line (19) of weakening.