US2491422A

US2491422A - Wrapped cigar package and method of wrapping

Info

Publication number: US2491422A
Application number: US550035A
Authority: US
Inventors: James E Snyder
Original assignee: Wingfoot Corp
Current assignee: Wingfoot Corp
Priority date: 1944-08-18
Filing date: 1944-08-18
Publication date: 1949-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1966-12-13
Also published as: NL67481C

Description

Dec. 13,1949 J. E. SNYDER WRAPPED CIGAR PACKAGE AND METHOD OF WRAPPING Filed Aug. 18, 1944 IN V EN TOR. firms: A? 540 051? BY 7?. l/cvCm/a Patented Dec. 13, 1949 WRAPPED CIGAR PACKAGE AND METHOD OF WRAPPING James E. Snyder, Camp Carson, Colo., assignor to Wingfoot Corporation, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application August-l8, 1944, Serial No. 550,035

g 4 Claims. (01. zoo-48.5)

This invention relates to a new method of wrapping cigars and includes the wrapped prod- .uct.

Cigars are somewhat irregular in shape, being of nonuniform diameter. The trade desires a snug wrap on a cigar so that it presents the best appearance when displayed in a cigar box. The conventional snug wrapper, formed by wrapping the cigar snugly with a wrapper of metal foil, moistureproofed cellophane (regenerated cellulose suitably coated) or the like and uniting the overlapped portion with a t ght seal, has been found objectionable because it is not readily possible to force the cigar out of one end of the wrapper by squeezing the other end of the wrapper, due to the fact that one section of the cigar is of larger diameter than another. In recent years it has become generally recognized that the preferred way to remove a cigar from its wrapper is to squeeze or pin-ch one end of the wrapped cigar and thus force it out of one end of the wrapper. This is referred to herein as popping the cigar out of its wrapper. It is an object of this invention to provide a wrapper which facilitates such removal of the cigar.

According to this invention, the wrapper is formed into a tube larger in diameter than any section of the cigar so that the cigar may be readily passed through it. According to a preferred way of wrapping the cigar, the cigar is enclosed in a loose-fitting wrapper of film or other suitable wrapping material, the edges of which are brought to a straight line with one portion of the film near the edge lying fiat against the other, and a seam is formed near the edges to make a loosely fitting tube which encircles the cigar. Then, this tube is folded down onto the cigar, and the fold may be sealed in place or may merely be held in place by folding over the portions of the tube which extend beyond the ends of the cigar.

If the wrapper is made of a material which is heat scalable and remains tacky for a reasonable period after heating, it is possible to make an encircling tube, as described, and to then fold the seam while still tacky onto the wrapper and by pressure cause the tacky seam to adhere to the wrapper.

According to an alternative procedure which may be used most advantageously with a wrapper composed of heat-scalable material, the edges, when brought together into alignment as described, are folded together back down onto the cigar, and a seam is formed with the edges folded down. causes the seam to unite to the portion of the wrapper onto which the the seam is folded.

Various wrapping materials may be employed in carrying out the invention. A heat-scalable material may be used to advantage although ad- The heat utilized in making the seam hesives of the usual type may be employed in handling nonheat-sealable materials, such as uncoated foil, cellophane, and the like. Thermoplastic, heat-sealable materials, such as vinyl compounds, coated cellophane, etc., may be used. Rubber hydrochloride film is a preferred wrapper. It may be plasticized and blended, etc., and if desired, may contain a considerable percentage of another plastic. For example, the film may be formed of equal parts of rubber hydrochloride and the benzene-soluble copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride known as Saran 13-130.

The invention will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a tube broken away at the center which has been partially wrapped;

Fig. 2 shows the same tube with the wrapper further completed;

Fig. 3 illustrates one method of sealing the Wrapper by heat;

Fig. 4 is a section through the package heatsealed in this manner when completed; and

Figs. 5-7 show an alternative method of sealing.

In the preferred method of wrapping, the rubber hydrochloride film l is looped around the cigar 2, and the edges of the wrapper lie fiat against one another and are heat-sealed along the line 3. In this way, a tube of larger diameter than the cigar is made, encircling the cigar.

After forming the tube and while the heatseal 3 is still tacky, the double layer of film representing the excess over that required to encircle the cigar is folded back onto itself to form the overlap 4. The ends of the wrapper 5 are preferably lightly sealed and then folded up.

Rubber hydrochloride film is very highly moisture resistant. Its resistance to the passage of moisture vapor may be increased by plasticizing and by adding other compatible materials. The seam formed between two portions of a rubber hydrochloride film by sealing with heat and pressure is an autogenous bond which is as strong as the film itself. Such a seam is too strong for use at the end of the cigar because it prevents popping a cigar from the wrapper. Therefore, when rubber hydrochloride film is employed, the ends are ordinarily folded up with light sealing, using a warm instrument which produces only a tackiness and superficial adhesion between overlapping surfaces of the film. The ends of the film may be coated with a material which is not as adhesive as the rubber hydrochloride film to produce a bond which is s'ufficiently easily broken to be poppedopen. As shown in Fig. 2, the end 5 may be merely folded up, or it may be sealed. with an adhesive or in any other suitable manner. The tube is preferably closed with a moisturetig-ht seam at both ends.

Figs. 3 and 4 showmore clearly the manner of making the package illustrated in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a section through the package, showing the cigar 2 and the wrapper l sealed along the long seam 3. The portion of the film which covers the top of the cigar is designated by the numeral 6. The heat-

sealing irons

1 and 3 are shown in the position they occupy just after forming the seal.

It will be noted that the wrapper has been formed into a tube of uniform diameter larger than the cigar by sealing along the line '3. The excess wrapper not required for encircling the cigar is then folded down against the portion of the film; 6. This is done while the seam 3 is still tacky as a result of being heated. By pressing this seam 3 against the outer surface of the overlapped wrapper, the tacky seam is. superficially united to the wrapper at 9. This seam is easily broken. However, so long as the ends of the tube are folded over as at 5, there is little danger of the seams being broken, and the wrapper may be made to fit the cigar snugly throughout its length. In Wrapping cigars mechanically, the fold will ordinarily be of uniform width where a tube of uniform diameter is used, and the amount of overlap will be governed by the largest diameter or cross-sectional area of the cigar.

Figs. 5-7 show an alternative method of wrapping the cigar. The cigar i2 is enclosed by the film H, which is folded over before sealing. The fold is made so that the cigar is snugly enclosed in the, wrapper. The sealing iron 23 is brought down against the fold as shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 7, by the time the iron is lifted, the two edges 2| and 22 have been securely and autogenously united at 24, and the seal has extended to the surface 25 to form the seal 26, but there is no strong bond between the seal and this wrapped surface at the seal 26. The bond at 26 is easily broken when pressure is applied to one end of the cigar to pop it from the wrapper, and the tube opens up to a diameter much larger than that of the cigar so that the cigar is easily popped from the wrapper.

Instead of employing a heat-seal to unite the edges 2i and 22 of the wrapper to the surface 25, an adhesive may be employed. If preferred, the ends of the wrapper may be closed by an adhesive and merely folded against the surface 25 without being adhesively united thereto, or they may be secured to the surface 25 by an adhesive.

Although the drawings illustrate a seam made by folding the film to bring the edge portions of the wrapper to the same straight line, such a seam is not necessary. The edges may be overlapped in the manner usually employed in making cigar wrappers; that is, with the two edges of the wrapper on opposite sides of the overlapped area. However formed, the seam made in making the loosely fitting tube is a strong, moisture-tight seam, and the secondary seam which unites the fold to the surface of the wrapper which lies adjacent the cigar is a weaker seam, easily ruptured.

It Will be obvious that instead of making the fold of Figs. 54! adjacent the seam, the fold might be formed on the other side of the cigar, in which case it will be along the middle of the wrapper, and the strong seam will fit snugly against the surface of the cigar. Such variations may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the attached claims.

What I claim 1. A cigar of nonuniform diameter throughout 4 most of its length, enclosed in a moistureproof wrapper of heatesealable material with a heatseal adjacent the edges of the wrapper to thus form a tube of the wrapper, the tube being substantially larger in perimeter than the largest section of the cigar, the excess of the tube over that required for snugly encircling the cigar being folded against the outer surface of a wrapped portion of the cigar and held there by an easily rupturable bond, the ends of the wrapper being folded back along a line substantially perpendicular to the axis of the cigar and closed with easily rupturable seams so that the cigar may be popped from either end of th finished enclosure.

2. A cigar of nonuniform diameter throughout most of its length, enclosed in a heatesealable, moisture-tight wrapper with a tight seam joining contacting surfaces of the wrapper adjacent opposite edges thereof to form a tube which is substantially larger in cross-sectional area than the greatest cross-sectional area of the cigar and with the circumferential excess of the tube over that required to encircle the cigar folded back against the outer surface of a portion of the wrapper adjacent the cigar and held there by an easily rupturable heat-seal, the ends of the wrapper being folded back along a line substantially perpendicular to the axis of the cigar and closed with easily rupturable seams so that the cigar may be popped from either end of the finished enclosure.

3. The method of wrapping a cigar of nonuniform diameter throughout most of its length, which comprises encircling the cigar with a heatsealable, moistureproof wrapper and bringing the edges of the wrapper together with the areas of the wrapper in excess of that required to snugly encircle the cigar being brought into face-to-face contact in a flattened condition and folding such excess areas together against a wrapped surface of the cigar, and then applying heat and pressure a substantial distance from the fold thus produced to securely unite the surfaces adjacent the edges of the wrapper and to unite the outer wrapped surface of the cigar to the seam thus formed by an easily rupturable heat-seal.

4. The method of wrapping a cigar which is of nonuniform diameter throughout most of its length, which comprises encircling the cigar with a wrapper of rubber hydrochloride film. bringin the edges of the wrapper together with the areas of the wrapper in excess of that required to snugly encircle the cigar in face-to-face contact in a flattened. condition, heat-sealing the contacting surfaces adjacent the edges so as to provide a substantial area of films in face-to-face unsealed contact between such heat-seal and the portion of the film in contact with the cigar, and then while the heat-seal is still warm folding the sealed portion of the film against the balance of the wrapper and pressing it thereto to make it adhere.

JAMES E. SNYDER.

nnrnnnnons CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

N ED TA ES ATENTS Number Name Date 1,754,839 Smith Apr. 15, 1930 1,899,207 Munson Feb. 28, 1933 1,953,097 Becker Apr. 3. 1934 2,018,705 Conti Oct. 29, 1935 2,273,452 Snyder Feb. 17, 1942 2,284,171 Silberman May 26, 1942