TWI615333B - Pack of smoking articles, blank therefor, and associated system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a package (P) of a smoking article (C) comprising a main panel (3) and a side cover (4) having surfaces, opposite sides and ends respectively adjacent to the tobacco filler (G). a frame (2) of semi-rigid material with the optional end cover (5); and an elastic barrier sheet (12) forming a sealing enclosure around the filler (G) and the frame (2); At least one of the plates (4) has a cut-out region (7) such that the at least one side cover (4) is discontinuous on the respective opposite side lengths (L) of the filler (G) of the smoking article (C) of. The present invention also provides a method of packaging a smoking article of such a package (P).

Description

Tobacco packaging, its billet and related systems and methods

The present invention is associated with smoking packages, such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and the like, which are referred to herein simply as "smoke products" for the sake of brevity and clarity. In particular, the present invention relates to smoking packages, to blanks associated with smoking packages, and to systems and methods related to smoking packages.

Cigarette packaging can generally be divided into two categories, hard and soft. Flexible packaging, as the name implies, is primarily formed from a soft or resilient sheet material. Conversely, the rigid package has a card housing to accommodate the cigarette filler and typically has a hinged lid that the user needs to manipulate to access the smoking article.

The rigid package allows for good protection of the smoking article as well as any inner packaging material (e.g., providing a barrier to prevent moisture from penetrating or dissipating), but they may be relatively complex in construction and assembly, which can be a significant cost factor. Flexible packaging is relatively simple and inexpensive to construct, but they carry a higher risk of damage to the contents during transport or handling.

The present invention is a hybrid form of a package associated with smoking articles (i.e., cigarettes and the like), which may be described as semi-rigid. To date, various protective sheets have been placed between the smoking filler and the outer packaging. Nowadays, a resealable package of a hard outer package and a soft inner package incorporating a cardboard with a re-sealable flap has been proposed. The purpose of this type of packaging is to increase the freshness of the smoking product. However, the low hardness of a resealable soft inner package may make Re-sealable covers are difficult to re-seal, especially when a small amount of smoke has been removed.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved packaging of smoking articles. Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved system and method for packaging such smoking articles.

According to the present invention, there is provided the feature recited in item 1 of the scope of the patent application. Tobacco packaging. Various advantages and/or preferred features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Thus, in accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a smoking package comprising: a semi-rigid material frame having a major panel disposed adjacent a surface of the tobacco filler; and forming a sealed enclosure ( And a flexible barrier sheet surrounding the frame and the filler; wherein the frame supports the elastic barrier sheet over the surface of the tobacco filler and prevents smoking and/or elasticity under application of external pressure to the package Block the damage of the piece.

Advantageously, the semi-rigid material frame placed between the tobacco filler and the soft or elastic outer barrier provides better structural stability of the package. Therefore, better structural stability helps protect the tobacco inside the package from external pressure. In addition, the package has a resealable cover that covers the access aperture to the sealed resilient barrier sheet, the frame providing sufficient counter-support to allow the user to efficiently pass Repeat the sealing cover to reseal the package. As will be appreciated, the smoking filler, and thus the frame, and the corresponding packaging itself typically have the form of a generally rectangular prismatic or rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid.

In a preferred embodiment, for example, the elastomeric barrier sheet can be attached to the semi-rigid material frame in the package via an adhesive or heat activated adhesive.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame of the package includes side covers disposed adjacent the opposite sides of the tobacco filler. The side cover preferably has at least one cut-out area such that each side cover is discontinuous on the respective opposite side lengths of the tobacco filler. The side covers are further substantially symmetrical with respect to each other and/or the main panel.

Therefore, according to another aspect, the present invention provides a smoking package comprising: a main panel having surfaces, opposite sides and ends respectively adjacent to the tobacco filler, a side cover and optionally a frame of semi-rigid material of one or more end covers; and a resilient barrier sheet disposed around the filler and the frame to form a sealed enclosure; wherein at least one of the side covers One has a cut-out area such that the at least one side cover is discontinuous on the respective side lengths of the tobacco filler.

By applying the cut-out region to at least one of the side panels, and preferably both, the frame has been found to provide enhanced structural stability to the package while maintaining a "soft" feel to the consumer similar to the flexible package described above. The discontinuous nature of the side cover caused by the cut-out area means that the extent of the upper side cover is interrupted on each side of the package, or the side cover does not coextend with the side of the package. In this regard, it is preferred to provide a substantially central region of the sides of the tobacco filler, or alternatively a resected region of the side cover away from the upper portion of the side of the end cover. In this regard, the frame can optionally include an end cover, preferably at the bottom or bottom of the package.

In a preferred embodiment, the frame of semi-rigid material has a substantially flat or planar form in a non-assembled or blanked state. That is, the main panel, the side cover with its cut-out area, and the optional end cover of the frame all have a substantially flat or planar configuration and are typically hingedly joined together along the co-edge. The semi-rigid material is thus preferably a semi-rigid sheet material such as a card, stiffened paper, paperboard, fiberboard, polymeric sheet material or the like. Although the semi-rigid sheet material may be relatively elastic regardless of its composition, it should still be dimensionally stable to give structural stability to the smoking package, thereby protecting the package and the smoking article from damage during transportation and storage. (eg inadvertent compression or crushing).

In a preferred embodiment, the main panel of the frame has a reinforced area that may be thicker than other portions of the frame. For example, the reinforced region can comprise a semi-rigid material that is adhesively bonded to multiple layers or folded portions of the primary panel with a binder. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the semi-rigid material of the multilayer or folded portion is formed from the cut-out region of the at least one side cover. In this way, it is possible to apply not only the resection area to create a reinforced soft packaging texture, but also to create a reinforced cover that can be bonded to the main panel of the frame.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a smoking package, the smoking package comprising a frame having a semi-rigid material adjacent to the surface of the tobacco filler, the opposite side, and (optionally) the end, and a semi-rigid material, optionally with an end cover; and a surrounding filler An elastic barrier sheet forming a sealed enclosure with the frame; wherein the primary panel comprises a reinforced region of a semi-rigid material desirably comprising a plurality of layers or folded portions. Thus, each reinforced area of the primary panel is generally thicker than the rest of the frame.

Typically, the packaged elastic barrier sheet is wrapped around the filler and the frame to form a sealed enclosure via the properties of the sealed seam. In this particular embodiment, at least one sealing seam is preferably provided to extend in the resection area and/or in one of the reinforced areas of the frame. Thus, the frame in this particular embodiment is configured to better support the packaging and sealing of the elastic barrier sheet during the packaging process.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the frame includes two minor sides, at least one end, and only one cuboid major surface formed from a smoking filler. That is, the frame preferably includes only one primary panel. This primary panel can be placed on the back side of the smoking filler, but is more preferably located in front of the package. The semi-rigid package of the present invention further imparts a texture to the consumer's soft package via a primary surface that only covers the tobacco filler, while still protecting the smoking article contained therein. Typically, each side cover of the frame is hingedly coupled to the main panel along its respective edge with its respective cut-out area, with the opposite edges of each side cover being free from the free edge of the main panel. Likewise, at least one of the optional end panels can be hinged to the main panel along the co-edge.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the elastic barrier sheet is comprised of a metal foil or a plastic laminate or a film, such as a metallized plastic film. The barrier sheet preferably has a resealable access aperture or cover plate disposed at the upper end of the package, and the barrier sheet is preferably continuous at the location where the aperture is accessed. Furthermore, the barrier sheet is preferably continuous on at least one end of the tobacco filler, in particular the lower end of the package. The package may further comprise a soft outer cover of the elastic sheet material.

According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a billet for smoking package, the billet comprising a semi-rigid sheet material, and the billet comprising at least one main panel corresponding to the surface of the package (preferably a side cover extending along the laterally opposite sides of the main panel), and optionally also an end cover provided at one end of the main panel, wherein at least one of the side covers There is a cut-out area such that at least one of the side covers is discontinuous on each side of the main panel. Additionally or alternatively, the primary panel may comprise a reinforced region of semi-rigid material that preferably has multiple layers or folded portions. As mentioned above, the reinforced area of the primary panel may comprise a reinforced cover formed by the cut-out area of the side cover. Thus, the blanks of the present invention are designed to be assembled, for example, by folding to form the packaging frame of the present invention.

According to yet another aspect, the invention also provides a method of packaging a smoking article, such as a cigarette or the like, the method comprising the steps of: providing a frame of semi-rigid material having at least one primary panel; adjoining the frame with the primary panel and/or Or covering the surface of the tobacco filler in such a manner as to be placed on or around the tobacco filler; wrapping or enclosing the tobacco filler and the frame with the elastic barrier sheet to form a seal and a sealing enclosure around the frame.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the filler and frame are wrapped or enclosed with a resilient barrier sheet via a seal of the barrier sheet to form one or more seams. In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the step of attaching the frame to the elastic barrier sheet, for example via bonding or thermal bonding.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the frame includes side cover panels on laterally opposite sides of the primary panel and optionally at least partial end covers at one end of the primary panel, wherein each side cover There is a cut-out area such that each side cover is discontinuous on each side of the main panel, and wherein at least one seam formed by the elastic barrier sheet extends in the cut-out region of the side cover.

Thus, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method of packaging a smoking article, such as a cigarette or the like, the method comprising the steps of providing a frame of semi-rigid material for supporting a smoking filler within the package, the frame comprising a main a panel, a side cover on a laterally opposite side of the main panel, and an end cover at least a portion of an end of the main panel, wherein at least one of the side covers has a cut-out area such that at least one of the sides The cover plate is discontinuous on each side of the main panel; the frame is adjacent to the surface of the tobacco filler, at least one side of the side and one end of the main panel, the side cover and the end cover The method is placed around the tobacco filler; the wrapped or enclosed tobacco filler and the frame with the elastic barrier sheet are formed to form the filler and the sealing enclosure around the frame.

In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the step of forming a reinforced region of the main panel of the frame, preferably by removing each frame prior to placing the frame on or around the tobacco filler. The area is bonded to the reinforced cover to the main panel. Thus, the main panel of the frame can have a reinforced region that preferably includes a semi-rigid material that can be bonded to the multi-layer or folded portion of the main panel. As noted above, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the multi-layer or folded portion of the semi-rigid sheet material can be formed from a cut-out region of at least one or both of the side cover panels. In this way, on the one hand, the cut-out area creates a reinforced soft-package "texture" and on the other hand a reinforced cover that is bonded to the main panel of the frame.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the filler and frame are wrapped or enclosed by a resilient barrier sheet via a seal of the elastomeric barrier sheet to form one or more seams. Preferably, at least one seam formed in the elastic barrier sheet is provided to extend in the cut-out region and/or in the reinforced region of the frame. In this manner, the main panel of the frame can be positioned to support the wrapping and sealing of the elastic barrier during the packaging process.

1‧‧‧Bullet

2‧‧‧Frame

3‧‧‧Main panel

4‧‧‧ side cover

5‧‧‧End cover

6‧‧‧ Access to pores

7‧‧‧Resection area

8‧‧‧ Strengthening cover

9‧‧‧Strengthen area

10‧‧‧adhesive points

11‧‧‧The upper edge area breaks open parts

12‧‧‧Flexible barrier

13‧‧‧ lateral seams

14‧‧‧Horizontal seams

15‧‧‧ Punch edge

16‧‧‧Resealable access cover or opening

17‧‧‧adhesive points

18‧‧‧Main panel edge

100‧‧‧ device

101‧‧‧Roller

102, 103‧‧‧ Seal head

104‧‧‧Finisher

105‧‧‧Roller

A‧‧‧ arrow

C‧‧‧ Cigarettes

G‧‧‧Smoke filler

L‧‧‧ side length

P‧‧‧Packaging

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail in the following description of the drawings, wherein the same reference numerals represent the same parts, wherein: FIG. a plan view of a blank of a packaged smoking article in a particular embodiment; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the blank in Figure 1 folded or assembled to form a packaging frame and placed around the tobacco filler; Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank of the packaged smoking article according to another embodiment; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the blank in Figure 3 folded or assembled to form a packaging frame and placed around the tobacco filler; Figure 5 is a front perspective view of the smoking package in accordance with a particular embodiment; Figure 5 is a rear perspective view of the package of the smoking article; Figure 7 is a plan view of the blank of the packaged smoking article according to a further embodiment; Figure 8 is a plan for folding or assembling to form the packaging frame and placed around the tobacco filler. 7 is a perspective view of the blank; FIG. 9 is a plan view of the blank of the packaged smoking article according to still another embodiment; and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the blank in the ninth drawing folded or assembled to form the packaging frame. Figure 11 is a diagrammatic illustration of a system for performing a packaging method in accordance with a particular embodiment.

The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in The drawings illustrate the specific embodiments of the invention and, together Other embodiments of the present invention, as well as many of the attendant advantages of the present invention, will be readily apparent from the <RTIgt;

It will be appreciated that common and well-understood elements that may be useful or required in a particular embodiment that is commercially feasible are not necessarily described to facilitate an overview of the specific embodiments. The elements of the figures are not necessarily illustrated in proportion to each other. It will be further understood that certain actions and/or steps in a particular embodiment of the method may be described or depicted in a particular order of the subject, and those skilled in the art will understand that the clarity of the order is not actually required. It will also be appreciated that the terminology and interpretations used in the specification have the ordinary meaning of such terms or explanations as are the subject of

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown a blank 1 for packaging a smoking article such as a cigarette or the like (which is assembled and/or folded in a packaging step to form a placement The group of smoke C or the filler G is surrounded by the frame 2 shown in Fig. 2). The blank 1 and thus the frame 2 are formed from a semi-rigid sheet material such as a card or fiberboard (which, although indeed elastic, is still sufficiently dimensionally stable to support and protect the inside of the package shown later) Filler for cigarette C G).

The blank 1 and the frame 2 comprise a main central panel 3, a side cover 4 hingedly connected to the main panel 3 on its laterally opposite sides, and an end cover 5 hingedly connected to the main panel 3 at one end thereof. . In this respect, the hinged connection between the main panel 3 and the respective side and end covers 4, 5 is shown in phantom in Figure 1, while the solid line represents the dividing line or tangent. Hinged or broken lines (dashed lines) and tangent lines (solid lines) naturally affect how the blank 1 is assembled to form the frame 2 shown in Fig. 2. In this regard, the frame 2 assembled from the blank 1 is provided to contain or cover one major surface, two minor sides, and at least one end of a rectangular or rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by the filler G of the cigarette C. In particular, the main panel 3 of the frame 2 covers the major (e.g., front or rear) surface of the cuboid shape formed by the filler G of the cigarette, and the side cover 4 of the frame 2 is adjacent to the secondary side of the filler G of the cigarette. Provided in part, and the end cover 5 corresponds to a base flap provided to support the end of the cigarette C in the filler G. As is clear from Figs. 1 and 2, the main panel 3 includes apertures 6 in the upper edge region thereof for facilitating access by the cigarette C of the filler G covered by the frame 2. Furthermore, it will be noted that the side cover 4 on each laterally opposite side of the main panel 3 comprises a central cut-out area 7. As a result, the side cover 4 is discontinuous in the length L of the main panel 3 and/or the filler G of the cigarette C (i.e., does not extend beyond the full length L).

Referring to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, a blank 1 according to a slightly modified embodiment and a packaging frame 2 assembled from that blank 1 are illustrated. Similarly, the folded or hinged connection between the main panel 3 and the side cover 4 and the end cover 5 are shown in dashed lines, while the tangent or separation line is illustrated in solid lines. With regard to the side flaps 4, the cut-out region 7 in this particular embodiment is formed by two parallel tangent lines which create a central reinforcing cover panel 8 on each laterally opposite side of the main panel 3. During the assembly of the blank 1 to form the frame 2 shown in Fig. 4, the reinforcing cover sheets 8 are folded inwardly so that the side covers are The plate 4 forms the cut-out region 7, but also simultaneously forms the reinforced region 9 of the main panel 3. In particular, when the packaging frame 2 is assembled from the blank 1, the reinforcing cover 8 is bonded to the main panel 3, for example, via the adhesive dots 10. In this way, the reinforcing region 9 of the main panel 3 is a double-layer or folded portion having a greater thickness and thus greater rigidity and strength in the frame. In this particular embodiment, the access aperture for accessing the cigarette C can be formed via a frangible seam, such as a perforated line, to enable the consumer to break the component 11 at the upper edge region of the main panel 3 to form Access to the aperture 6.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings, a front and rear perspective view illustrates a package P of a smoking article C in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention. This particular cigarette pack P can include the frame 2 shown in the second or fourth figure. In this respect, the side cover 4 of the frame 2 in the cigarette pack P has a central cut-out region 7 which coincides with the blank 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. Therefore, the package P of the cigarette C of Figs. 5 and 6 has the frame 2 of the card material disposed so that the main panel 3 of the frame is adjacent to the front surface of the rectangular or rectangular parallelepiped cigarette filler G, and the side cover The plate 4 is adjacent to the laterally opposite minor side of the filler G of the cigarette C, and the end cover 5 of the frame 2 forms the bottom of the C-end of the cigarette of the filler G.

Further, the cigarette package P includes an elastic barrier sheet 12 that is wrapped around the frame 2 and the filler G of the cigarette to form a sealed enclosure. In particular, the elastic barrier sheet 12 is closed and sealed along the lateral and transverse seams 13, 14. It will also be noted that the elastic barrier sheet 12 includes a perforated line 15 to provide a resealable access cover or opening 16 at the upper end of the package P, at least partially in contact with the aperture formed in the main panel 3 of the frame 2. 6 overlap. The main panel 3 of the frame 2 is also preferably joined to the elastic barrier sheet 12 (e.g., an adhesive provided by the adhesive dots 17) to secure the position of the frame 2 at the elastic barrier sheet 12, and to enhance structural integrity and packaging P. Rigidity.

Referring briefly to Figure 11 of the accompanying drawings, a system or apparatus 100 for packaging a smoking article, such as cigarette C or the like, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As is apparent from Fig. 11, a series of packaging frames 2, each of which is separately combined with the filler G of the cigarette, are carried by the apparatus 100 in the direction of the arrow A along the packaging path. The filled package frame 2 is transported under a continuous elastic barrier sheet 12 (e.g., a plastic laminate film) fed from a supply roll (not shown). Barrier sheet 12 has a prefabricated resealable access cover or opening 16 for alignment with the respective access apertures 6 of the main panel 3 prior to each frame 2 transported under the barrier.

The drum 101 disposed under the continuously performed frame 2 tensions the elastic barrier sheet 12 over the front and rear surfaces of the frame 2, and against the opposite ends of the frame 2 and the respective cigarette filler G, thereby wrapping the same. The drum 101 is then mated with the sealing head 102 to fuse or seal the tensioned barrier sheet 12 along the transverse seam 13. A further elongated sealing head 103 (or a pair thereof) after the drum 101 operates to clamp and fuse the lateral seam 14 of the barrier sheet 12 (eg, fin seal) to each frame 2 and its respective cigarette filler G Between to form individual packages P. The trimmer 104 and the roller 105 can then trim and flatten the seams 13, 14 (e.g., the lateral seams 14 along opposite sides) to complete the individual packages P. In addition, the package P can be optionally inserted into an additional package, such as a hard case, or it can be additionally wrapped in another elastic outer package of polypropylene or the like.

Referring now to Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings, the packaged cigarette C will be described in a flat state (Fig. 7) and an assembled or folded state (Fig. 8) of the package frame 2 forming the filler G covering the cigarette. Or a further specific embodiment of the blank 1 of other smoking articles. In this particular embodiment, the main difference from the previous embodiment is related to the formation and position of the cut-out region 7 of the side cover 4 of the blank 1. In particular, the cut-out region 7 is now provided on the upper portion of the side cover 4 (rather than in the central region as in the case of the specific embodiment of Figures 1 to 4). Therefore, the side cover 4 is clearly discontinuous on the side length L of the main panel 3 and/or on the package P of the upper cut-out region 7. However, as with the specific embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, the cut-out region 7 forms a reinforcing cover 8 that is folded and bonded to the main panel 3 to be formed again by, for example, adhesive bonding of the adhesive dots 10. Strengthen the area 9.

Finally, Figures 9 and 10 of the drawings illustrate yet another embodiment of the blank 1 for forming a package frame 2 for a package P of a cigarette or other smoking article according to the present invention. In this particular embodiment, the frame 2 comprises only the main panel 3 and the end panel 5, which form the abutment of the positioning frame 2 as shown in Fig. 10 on the filler G of the smoking article. In this particular embodiment, the frame 2 can be attached to the outer layer of elastic barrier sheet 12 to form a package P having improved structural rigidity in accordance with the present invention.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, those skilled in the art will understand that various alternative and/or equivalent embodiments are present. It is to be understood that the exemplifications of the exemplified embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, and configuration in any manner. Rather, the foregoing summary and detailed description will be given to those of ordinary skill in the art in the <Desc/Clms Page number> The configuration is subject to various modifications without departing from the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. In general, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein.

For example, it will be understood that when referring to the "cutting region" 7 in the blank 1 according to the present invention and the packaged packaging frame 2, it is not intended to mean that the region 7 must be formed by "cutting". Conversely, the term "cut-out region" is merely intended to describe the absence of a groove or recess or material that may be formed by any suitable method including, but not limited to, cutting.

In addition, it will be understood that in this document, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "include", "including", "contain", "including" "," "have", "having" and any change thereof are intended to be understood as an inclusive (ie, non-exclusive) meaning such that the steps, methods, apparatus, and apparatus described herein are described herein. Or the system is not limited to those features or components or steps or steps recited, but may include other elements, features, parts or steps that are not explicitly listed or inherent to such steps, methods, articles or devices. In addition, the terms "a" and "an", as used herein, are intended to mean one or more. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used only as marks, and are not intended to impose numerical rules or establish the importance of their objects. Some sort of sort.

4‧‧‧ side cover

5‧‧‧End cover

7‧‧‧Resection area

12‧‧‧Flexible barrier

13‧‧‧ lateral seams

14‧‧‧Horizontal seams

15‧‧‧punching line

16‧‧‧Resealable access cover or opening

17‧‧‧adhesive points

P‧‧‧Packaging

Claims (13)

A package of a smoking article comprising: a frame of a semi-hard material having a primary panel disposed adjacent a surface of a filler of the smoking article; and an elastic barrier sheet surrounding the frame and the filler The elastic barrier sheet forms a sealed enclosure; wherein the frame supports the elastic barrier sheet on the surface of the filler of the smoking article and prevents application of external pressure to the smoking article and/or the elastic barrier sheet Damage to the package; wherein the frame includes side covers disposed adjacent to opposite sides of the filler of the smoking article, each of the side covers having at least one cut-out area such that each side cover is in the form of a smoking article The length of each of the opposite sides of the filler is discontinuous, wherein the side cover is substantially symmetrical with respect to the main panel; and wherein the elastic barrier sheet is wrapped around the filler and the filler a frame and the sealing enclosure is formed via one or more sealing seams, wherein at least one of the sealing seams is configured to extend in the cut-out region of the side cover. The package of claim 1, wherein the frame is attached to the elastic barrier sheet. The package of claim 1, wherein the main panel of the frame comprises a reinforced area. The package of claim 3, wherein the reinforcing region comprises a plurality of layers or folded portions of a semi-rigid material that is preferably bonded to the primary panel. The package of claim 3, wherein the reinforced region of the primary panel is formed by a cover plate derived from the cut-out region of the side cover. The package of claim 3, wherein at least one of the sealing seams is disposed to extend in the reinforced region. The package of any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein each of the side covers of the frame is hingedly connected to the main panel along a respective edge, whereby each Side cover An opposite edge of the panel is a free edge away from the primary panel; and/or wherein the frame includes a secondary side and a single major surface of a rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by the filler of the smoking article. The package of any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the elastic barrier sheet is composed of a metal foil, a plastic laminate or a metalized plastic film; and/or the elasticity The barrier sheet has a resealable access aperture and is preferably continuous at the location of the access aperture; and/or wherein the barrier sheet is continuous on at least one end of the filler of the smoking article. The package of any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the package further comprises a flexible outer package of elastic sheet material or a rigid or semi-rigid outer casing. A method of packaging a smoking article, the method comprising the steps of: providing a frame of semi-rigid material having at least one main panel and a side cover on a laterally opposite side of the main panel, wherein the side cover Each having a cut-out area such that each side cover is discontinuous on respective opposite sides of the primary panel; the frame is contiguous with the primary panel and/or covers one surface of the filler of the smoking article Such a manner is placed on or around a filler of the smoking article, and the side cover is adjacent to the opposite side of the filler of the smoking article; by sealing a portion of the elastic barrier sheet together by an elastic barrier sheet, Forming or enclosing the filler of the smoking article with the frame to form one or more seams to form a sealed enclosure surrounding the filler and the frame; wherein at least the seam formed by the elastic barrier sheet One extends in the cut-out region of the side cover. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising the step of attaching the frame to the elastic barrier sheet. The method of claim 10, wherein the frame comprises an end cover of at least a portion of one end of the main panel. The method of any one of clauses 10 to 12, further comprising the step of placing the frame on or around the filler of the smoking article, preferably via each The cutting area is bonded to the main panel to form a reinforcing region in the main panel of the frame, wherein the main panel of the frame has a reinforcing region, and the elastic blocking sheet The at least one seam formed in the extension extends in the reinforced region of the primary panel, and wherein the step of providing the frame preferably includes providing a blank and assembling the blank into the frame.