RU2488537C2 - Tobacco package - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: packing industry.

SUBSTANCE: this invention relates to a package for tobacco industry items, for instance, smoking tobacco products, in particular, cigarettes. The invention objective is development of a package for cigarettes, comprising a check clapper valve, which pulls excessive pressure. The application describes a package comprising a closed reservoir with tobacco industry items, a coating of a plastic material applied onto a reservoir with a layer providing for an airtight seal between the inner space of the reservoir and the space outside of it; and a valve to ensure pressure drop between the inner space of the reservoir and the space outside of it. The above valve represents a check valve tightly inserted into the hole in the reservoir wall, making it possible to create a pressure drop between the inner space of the reservoir and the space outside of it.

EFFECT: development of a package for cigarettes comprising a check clapper valve pulling an excessive pressure, making it possible to increase shelf life of cigarettes, and also possibility of stain formation onto cigarettes.

38 cl, 7 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the packaging of products of the tobacco industry, for example, smoking tobacco products, in particular cigarettes.

Conventional box packaging of cigarettes consists of tightly folded cigarettes wrapped in a sheet of paper laminated with metal foil, placed in a container (box), usually made of a cardboard sheet. The container usually has a hinged lid that allows access to cigarettes. The container is often formed from a blank of solid bleached sulfate cardboard, which is pre-printed and which is folded and wrapped around folded cigarettes. The container is wrapped with a self-adhesive transparent film when heated, usually polypropylene, with a tear tape to facilitate opening.

Of the listed packaging components, only the outer film greatly contributes to the preservation of the properties of packaged cigarettes during storage. Plastic film is an obstacle to moisture, but its effectiveness largely depends on achieving sufficient tightness of the joints in the overlapping areas of the folded film wrapper. Nevertheless, the low moisture permeability of the plastic film allows the initial moisture content and other volatile components of the cigarettes to be preserved, which they have immediately after manufacture, in the event that the packaged cigarettes are exposed to an environment having either a higher or lower relative humidity than the humidity inside packs of cigarettes. Although polypropylene film is usually used as the outer packaging material, other film materials with reduced moisture permeability, such as vacuum-metallized plastic films, were also used, but these materials also strongly depend on achieving good tightness in overlapping areas of the folded film wrapped around the container.

Other types of packaging were proposed, in which the inner wrapper made of solid bleached sulfate cardboard was replaced with materials and constructions providing the required moisture-proof properties and eliminating the need to use an outer film of plastic material as a wrapper. As an example, you can give rigid, injection-molded plastic packs with built-in seals. This method, however, is not suitable for conventional cardboard containers manufactured in large quantities by mass production technology.

Documents to which reference may be made include: US 3301468; US 3,125,213; US 3,533,550; WO 97/12098; EP 1637469 and US 5165535.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a package comprising a closed container that contains tobacco products and a plastic coating that is applied to the container with a layer that provides an airtight seal to the environment of the container.

By applying plastic in the form of a coating, a continuous layer can be obtained over the entire outer surface of the container, so that there is no need for hermetic joints, and improved sealing between the interior of the container and the environment is provided.

A valve may be used to create a pressure differential between the interior of the container and the environment. The pressure differential may include increased overpressure inside the vessel, created, for example, by an inert gas, such as nitrogen.

An inner wrapper may be placed between the container and the tobacco product, which may be biodegradable.

The container can be made of breathable material, such as a cardboard sheet, for example, continuous bleached sulfate cardboard, and a layer of plastic can extend over the entire outer surface of the container to ensure airtightness. The plastic layer may include a polymer, for example polypropylene or polyethylene, and may include additives that aid in the decomposition of the plastic material and / or additives that increase the air tightness provided by the plastic material.

A line of reduced strength can be made in the plastic layer to facilitate opening the lid in the form of a tear tape or a line of reduced thickness in the plastic layer.

The invention also includes a method for packaging tobacco industry products, comprising coating a plastic material on a container containing tobacco products to provide airtightness of the container.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for packaging tobacco products, including a packaging device for packaging tobacco products in a container, and a coating device used to apply a coating layer of plastic material to the container to provide airtight sealing.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a package comprising a container and tobacco products inside a soft, hermetically sealed bag in a container.

A valve may be used to create a pressure differential between the interior of the bag and the environment surrounding the bag. To provide access to tobacco products, a means for tearing a sealed bag can be used.

Below, to provide a better understanding of the invention, as an illustration, a description of its implementation is given with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

figure 1 presents a perspective view of a pack of cigarettes with an open lid;

figure 2 presents a perspective view corresponding to figure 1, with the lid open;

figure 3 presents a section view of the pack shown in figures 1 and 2;

figure 4 schematically shows an installation for packaging cigarettes;

on figa-B schematically shows the passage of the tank through another post for coating, which uses coating in bulk;

6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fragment of another embodiment of a coating station using a hot air tunnel; and

Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a pack of cigarettes in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 1-3 shows a pack of cigarettes in accordance with the invention, including a container 1 in the form of a rectangular main body 2 with a hinged lid 3 mounted on a hinge, containing two parallel rows of filter cigarettes 4, placed in the inner wrapper 5.

The container is made of a cardboard sheet, for example, of solid bleached sulfate cardboard, by bending from a preform with a print using known technology. The inner wrapper 5 can be made of paper and should not be laminated with a metal foil, therefore it is biodegradable.

As can be clearly seen in figure 3, the outer surface of the container 1 is covered with plastic material to create a continuous coating 6, providing airtight sealing. As shown in FIG. 2, a tear strip 7 is placed around the junction of the main body 2 and the cover 3, allowing the user to remove the strip 7, thereby violating the integrity of the coating 6, to open the cover 3. The tear strip 7 can be applied to the container before coating 6 or after that. The tear strip 7 thus creates a line of reduced strength, which allows you to open the lid. The line of reduced strength can be made in other ways, for example, the plastic coating 6 can have notches, or its thickness can be reduced in another way without the formation of through tears along the perimeter of the lid 3 to ensure opening of the lid. A check valve 8 is inserted into the wall of the tank 1. The valve allows you to create a pressure differential between the internal volume of the tank and the surrounding space. Thanks to the valve, it is possible to create increased pressure inside the container, which will not quickly subside over time due to the presence of an airtight seal 6 on the outside of the container. The valve 8 includes a node that can be tightly inserted into a small hole in the side wall of the tank either before coating 6, or after that. If the valve 8 is installed after coating 6, the valve 8 can be glued to the coating 6 when the coating hardens. In the example shown in FIG. 3, valve 8 includes a main body 9 with a central channel 10, in which there is a check valve 11, which is integral with the body, so that gas can be pumped into the tank, creating excessive pressure in it. The level of overpressure depends on the mechanical strength of the coated container 1. Overpressure provides a functional advantage and provides attractiveness to the user. Overpressure increases the possible shelf life of cigarettes by reducing the internal pressure of water vapor and other volatile components, thereby reducing the possibility of stains on cigarettes 4 and their tarnishing, compared with the corresponding hermetically sealed container at atmospheric pressure. As a result of the fact that the increased pressure makes the container 1 more rigid, it becomes more pleasant and characteristic to the touch. Upon opening, the user hears a sound emitted by the escaping gas, which serves as evidence of the freshness of the cigarettes, and the gas has an aroma indicating the freshness of the tobacco product.

The coating 6 applied to the container 1 may be a polymer, for example polypropylene or polyethylene, having the necessary physical and protective properties. The coating is selected with good adhesion to the surface of the container 1 and, preferably, hardening with preservation of transparency so that it is visible through it on the surfaces of the container 1. When choosing a plastic coating 6, the tactile sensation of the outer surface or the visual impression of it can be taken into account. Depending on the plastic material chosen, it may be desirable to use a clearcoat or gloss paint to improve the adhesion of the plastic coating 6 to the areas of the printing container 1.

In the plastic material, additives can be used to aid the decomposition of the plastic coating 6 in the preparation of compost or landfill. Thus, the inner wrapper 5, in which there is no need to use metal foil, together with the container 1 and the plastic container 6 are biodegradable and can be certified as biodegradable or biodegradable structures. Additive materials for the decomposition used may be selected from products offered by EPI (Environment Plastics Inc, Vancouver, British Columbia), or other similar products.

The plastic coating 6 may also include an additive material to improve the airtightness of the coating, without compromising its optical transparency. One such material is Nanolock ™ manufactured by InMat Inc., Hillsboro, New Jersey, USA. These additives significantly increase the storage stability of the resulting packaging, providing almost complete tightness, improving the shelf life and freshness of the tobacco product for the user.

Figure 4 shows the installation for packaging tobacco products, allowing to produce the packs shown in figures 1-3. The packaging machine 12 normally wraps the tightly folded cigarettes in an inner wrapper 5, and then in a blank of pre-printed bleached solid sulfate paperboard, forming a container 1. Packs of cigarettes with containers 1 made in machine 12 are fed one after another along the conveyor 13 in direction 14 to station 15, where a tear strip 7 is applied to the container 1 at the junction between the lid 3 and the main body 2. Then, the containers 1 are moved from the tear strip application station 15 to the coating station 16, in which or a molten polymer plastic material including the above additives is pumped from the reservoir 17 through the spray heads 18, completely covering each container 1 with the sprayed material, thereby creating a continuous, hermetic coating 6, shown in FIG. 3. Covered containers are transferred from coating station 16 to valve installation station 19, where valve 8 is pressed into the container. Then, packs are transferred to gas supply station 20, where gas is pumped through check valve 9 to create excess pressure in vessel 1. Gas may include purified air or inert gas, for example nitrogen. Alternatively, the gas source is replaced by a vacuum pump, and air is sucked out of the containers.

Then, the pressurized containers 1 can be transferred from the conveyor 13 to a packaging station (not shown) for packaging in large boxes for transportation. In order to increase the tightness of the check valve 8, the outer part of the valve, which can be made of plastic, can be heated with partial melting of the plastic material and blocking of the central hole 10.

5 shows an alternative embodiment of a coating station 16, wherein a container 1 extends through a curtain 21 of liquid coating material. The curtain 21 is created by the line of nozzles 22 and lowered into the tank 23, from where it is pumped (not shown) back into the nozzles 22. The conveyor 13 is composed of two parts 13a, 13b, between which the curtain 21 of liquid is lowered. 5 shows an uncoated container 1 approaching a coating station 16 and a curtain 21 of liquid coating material. The container 1 is introduced into the curtain 21 by the conveyor part 13a for applying the coating material onto it 21 from all sides, including the lower part, as shown in Fig. 5B. Then, the container 1 with the coating 6 of the material deposited by the curtain 21 is moved to the conveyor portion 13b, and FIG. 13B shows a fully covered container 1 moving to the valve mounting station 19 shown in FIG. 4.

Figure 6 shows an alternative method of coating the container 1, in which the container 1 on the conveyor part 13a is preliminarily loosely wrapped with a sheet of plastic 24 without sealing, and then discharged into the tunnel 25, into which an upward flow of hot air is supplied by the fan 26. The containers 1, each of which is wrapped in a sheet 24, are fed in turn to the upper tunnel opening 25a and fall through heated air to the tunnel opening 25b onto the conveyor portion 13b for transfer to the valve installation station 19 shown in FIG. 4. The containers 1 fall freely due to gravity through the heated air coming from the fan 26, and the wrapper 24 melts, forming a sealed, airtight coating 6. The advantage of the vertical arrangement of the tunnel 25 is that the containers 1 do not rest on the conveyor 13 during the melting process, which contributes to the formation of a continuous airtight coating 6 over the entire tank 1. The tunnel 25 can, however, be located in a different way, for example, horizontally, with a conveyor passing through it.

Another embodiment of a cigarette pack in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the container 1 has a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 1-3, including the main body 2 and the cover 3. The cigarettes 4, however, are placed inside a soft sealed bag 27, which may be under pressure. The inner wrapper 5 of the previous embodiment is absent here, and no outer coatings of plastic material 6 are used. When packing cigarettes, they are first placed in a plastic bag 27 through an opening in the upper part of the bag, which is then near welded so as to create a weld 28 along the top of the bag, as shown in Fig. 7. Then, overpressure is created in bag 27 using valve 8, which, in this case, is located at the bottom of the pack. The pressurization of the package 27 can be performed with an inert gas or with purified air, as described above. The sealed soft bag 27 may be made of a polymer, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, as described above, and may include the aforementioned additives to provide biodegradation. A line of reduced strength may be formed along the upper part of the bag, making it easier for the user to open the bag to access cigarettes 4. In addition, a sharp spike 30 can be provided in the container, allowing the user to press and push the packet onto the spike and lower it. An advantage of this embodiment is that the cigarettes can be packaged in a regular container 1 made of solid bleached sulfate cardboard without the need for an outer transparent plastic wrapper or inner wrapper 5, while the cigarettes remain fresh and the package as a whole is biodegradable. .

Various changes and modifications to the described embodiments may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the application of plastic material can be performed in other ways, for example by dipping. In addition, while the described packaging is intended for cigarette products of the tobacco industry, they can be used for other similar products, and the term “tobacco industry product” as used herein refers to any product manufactured or sold by the tobacco industry, including: a ) cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, tobacco for pipes or for self-rolled cigarettes (based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, loose tobacco, powder tobacco or powder substitutes); b) products not intended for smoking, including tobacco, tobacco derivatives, loose tobacco, powdered tobacco or tobacco substitutes, for example snuff, snus, hard tobacco, and products that are heated without burning; and c) smoking cessation aids and other nicotine administration systems, such as patches, inhalers, lozenges and chewing gum. This list is not intended to be closed and serves only to illustrate the range of products that are manufactured and sold by the tobacco industry.

Claims (38)

1. Packaging, including a closed container (1) with products (4) of the tobacco industry, a coating (6) of plastic material, applied to the container with a layer providing an airtight seal between the inside of the container and the space outside it, and a valve (8) to provide the differential pressure between the inner space of the tank and the space outside it, which is a check valve, tightly inserted into the hole in the wall of the tank, allowing you to create a pressure differential between the inner space of the tank and the space outside of it. 2. The packaging according to claim 1, having a pressure differential between the internal space of the container and the space outside it. 3. The packaging according to claim 2, in which the pressure drop includes increased overpressure inside the container. 4. The packaging according to claim 2 or 3, in which the container contains an inert gas. 5. Packaging according to claim 1, including an inner wrapper (5) between the container and tobacco products. 6. The packaging according to claim 5, in which the inner wrapper is biodegradable. 7. The package according to claim 1, in which the container has a main body (2) and a lid (3) that can be opened to provide access to tobacco products, while a layer of plastic material provides sealing between the main body and the lid. 8. The package according to claim 7, having a line of reduced strength in the layer of plastic material to facilitate opening the lid. 9. Packaging according to claim 7, provided with a tear strip (7) to create a line of reduced strength. 10. The packaging according to claim 7, in which the line of reduced strength is a line of reduced thickness in the plastic layer. 11. The packaging according to claim 1, in which the container is made of breathable material, and the plastic layer covers the entire outer surface of the container. 12. The packaging according to claim 1, in which the container is made of sheet cardboard. 13. The packaging according to claim 1, in which the plastic layer includes a polymer, such as polypropylene or polyethylene. 14. The packaging according to claim 1, in which the plastic layer includes an additive that promotes the decomposition of the plastic material. 15. The packaging according to claim 1, in which the plastic layer includes an additive to increase the air tightness provided by the plastic material. 16. The method of packaging products of the tobacco industry, in the implementation of which a container containing tobacco products is coated with plastic material and thereby ensuring air tightness of this container, the check valve is tightly inserted into the hole in the container wall, providing a pressure differential between the inside of the container and the space outside her through this valve. 17. The method according to clause 16, in which a coating of plastic material is applied by spraying on the outer surface of the container. 18. The method according to clause 16, in which the coating is applied, carrying the container through a curtain of liquid coating material. 19. The method according to clause 16, in which the coating is applied by wrapping the container with a sheet of fusible plastic material and melting this sheet to form a coating. 20. The method according to claim 19, in which a container is passed through a tunnel into which heated air is supplied to melt the wrapper. 21. The method according to claim 20, in which provide a free fall of the tank through the tunnel towards the upward flow of heated air. 22. The method according to clause 16, in which the container is dipped in a plastic material to form a coating layer. 23. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the container has a main body and a lid that can be opened to provide access to tobacco products, a layer of plastic material that provides a seal between the main body and the lid and includes a line of reduced strength in the layer plastic material to provide cover opening. 24. The method according to item 23, in which provide on the tank tear strip either before applying a layer of plastic, or after that. 25. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein a pressure differential is created between the space inside and the space outside the container coated with plastic material. 26. The method according to any one of paragraphs.16-22, in which gas is pumped into the tank to create positive positive pressure inside. 27. The method according to any one of paragraphs.16-22, in which an additive is used in a plastic material that promotes its decomposition. 28. The method according to any one of paragraphs.16-22, which use an additive in a plastic material to increase its air tightness. 29. Installation for packaging products of the tobacco industry, including a packaging device (12) used to package these products in a container, a coating device (16, 17, 18) used to apply a coating layer of plastic material on the container, providing an airtight seal, and a device for tightly fitting a check valve into an opening in the wall of the vessel to create a pressure differential between the interior of the vessel and the space outside it. 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the coating apparatus provides spray coating. 31. The installation according to clause 29, in which the device for coating provides the creation of a curtain (21) of liquid coating material through which the container passes. 32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the coating device provides for wrapping the container with a sheet (24) of fusible plastic material and melting the sheet to form a coating. 33. Installation according to claim 32, including a tunnel (25) into which hot air is supplied to melt the wrapper. 34. The installation according to p. 33, in which the tunnel is located vertically, providing free fall of the capacity through the tunnel towards the upward flow of heated air. 35. Installation according to any one of paragraphs.29-34, including a source (20) of gas for pumping gas into a container through a valve. 36. Installation according to any one of paragraphs.29-34, including a vacuum pump for pumping gas from the tank through the valve. 37. Installation according to any one of paragraphs.29-34, comprising a device for supplying the container with a tear strip. 38. Installation according to any one of paragraphs.29-34, including a device for forming a line of reduced strength in the plastic layer on the tank.

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