WO2009040384A1

WO2009040384A1 - Smoking article pack

Info

Publication number: WO2009040384A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/062802
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alan Douglas Tearle; Royce Raju
Original assignee: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
Priority date: 2007-09-25
Filing date: 2008-09-24
Publication date: 2009-04-02
Also published as: GB0718730D0; CL2008002838A1; AR068829A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a soft cup smoking article pack (10) comprising a lid portion (26) and a container portion (24), the lid portion and the container portion being connected by a removable portion (28) which portion, when removed provides evidence of first opening of the pack.

Description

Smoking Article Pack

The present invention relates to a smoking article pack. In particular, the pack according to the present invention is configured to enclose smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos, loose tobacco, or so- called, roll -you r-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco products such as oral tobacco products. For convenience and brevity these will be referred to hereinafter as smoking articles. The invention relates particularly to packs for smoking articles being of the non-rigid (soft cup pack) type.

Packs of the so-called soft cup type are well known in the art and enjoy particular popularity in certain markets, such as the United States. A soft cup pack typically comprises three distinct layers of soft-sheet material, namely: (i) an inner-wrap in the form of metallised paper folded in at its ends to contain the smoking articles; (ii) a paper outer wrap wrapped around the inner-wrap and displaying brand specific information to the consumer; and (iii) a transparent overwrap of, for example, cellophane material heat sealed over the outer wrap to seal the pack against the ingress of contaminants and thus preserve the freshness and moisture content of the smoking articles prior to opening.

Conventional soft cup packs have an open-ended outer wrap which, once the overwrap is removed, allows the consumer to remove a portion of the exposed inner-wrap to gain access to the smoking articles. Indeed, this means of opening has become a familiar ritual amongst certain consumers and is thus a significant contributing factor to the popularity of soft cup packs.

However, with the exception of the opening of the overwrap layer, conventional soft cup packs provide no reliable indicator to the consumer of first pack opening, or of the pack having been tampered with.

Prior art document US 5,628,452 discloses a pack formed of a single sheet of material which covers the end face of a pack where smoking articles are accessed. The pack is provided with a number of different opening options, one of which is a tear strip disposed on the front, back and two side faces of the pack. Once the tear strip is removed, a consumer is able to access smoking articles. The disclosure of this document therefore overcomes the drawback of conventional soft cup packs in that a consumer is able to visibly detect that a pack has previously been opened or tampered with by checking the integrity of the pull strip.

The present invention is predicated upon the inventor's realisation that there is a need for a soft cup pack having two or more plies (layers) which provides an improved perception of freshness to the consumer in addition to tamper evidence qualities.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a soft cup smoking article pack being separable into a major portion and a minor portion along a line of separation; the pack comprising a tear strip aligned with the line of separation and operable to effect separation of the major and minor portions along the line of separation; the pack comprising an inner-wrap for containing a charge of smoking articles, and an outer wrap overlying the entire surface area of the inner-wrap; wherein the tear strip is provided on the outer wrap.

Preferably, the line of separation is provided on and/or proximate an edge of the pack.

In embodiments of the pack, the line of separation extends transversely around the outer wrap.

Alternatively, the line of separation extends longitudinally around the outer wrap.

Preferably, the line of separation extends around the entire periphery of the outer wrap. When the line of separation is arranged such that it extends around the entire periphery of the outer wrap in a closed loop, this facilitates complete separation of the minor portion of the pack from the major portion of the pack by the consumer.

Preferably, the outer wrap is defined by opposing front and rear faces, opposing side faces, a base face and a top face.

Preferably, the line of separation extends around substantially all of the opposing front and rear faces and opposing side faces of the outer wrap.

It is much be preference that the line of separation extends around substantially all of the opposing front and rear faces and opposing side faces of the outer wrap in an orientation which is parallel to the respective edges of the top face of the pack.

In preferred embodiments the line of separation extends around substantially all of the opposing front and rear faces and opposing side faces of the outer wrap in an orientation which is parallel to the respective edges of the top face of the pack and which is at, or above, the lower extremity of a tax stamp, which tax stamp is applied to, and extends between, an upper portion of the front and rear faces and over a portion of the top face of the pack as is customary in the art.

This location of the line of separation has the advantage of providing added structural support to the smoking articles after the pack has been opened. For example, where the smoking articles are cigarettes, such a line of separation would expose very little of the longitudinal surface of the more pliant inner-wrap of the pack. Moreover, a line of separation which runs adjacent or through the tax stamp may provide additional tamper evidence due to the fact that the tax stamp will be torn or otherwise damaged upon first opening.

Preferably, the line of separation is pre-formed in the material of the outer wrap.

Alternatively, the line of separation is notional and is formed upon operation of the tear strip.

It is much by preference that the tear strip is defined by at least two lines of weakening along which the major and minor portions of the outer wrap may be separated. Most preferably, the tear strip is defined by two parallel lines of weakening. More specifically, the two parallel lines of weakening comprise lines of perforation.

In embodiments of the present invention the lines of perforation may be configured as straight, parallel lines or, alternatively, in a hounds tooth or herring bone configuration, or in any other suitable configuration such as a curved or other shaped configuration.

The tear strip may be formed from any suitable material, for example, from cardboard, paper, polymer, metal, fibre, degradable or non-degradable material, or the like.

Preferably, the tear strip is formed integrally with the outer wrap.

When the tear strip is formed integrally with the outer wrap, it is preferably formed from the same material as the outer wrap.

In an alternative arrangement, the tear strip is applied to the outer wrap. The applied tear strip is preferably applied to the innermost surface of the outer wrap. Suitably the applied tear strip comprises an adhesive surface by which same is applied to the outer wrap. In use, the adhesive force of the tear strip will be greater than the force required to separate the outer wrap material between the major portion and the minor portion in order that the outer wrap be opened by way of the consumer pulling on the applied tear strip.

In a further alternative arrangement, the pack comprises an integral tear strip having a further tear strip applied thereto.

In opening a pack of the present invention, the tear strip will be pulled with either a tool or by hand, thus, partially or completely removing same from the pack. In this way, access to the contents of the pack is facilitated.

The pack may further comprise a transparent flexible overwrap. Preferably, the transparent flexible overwrap is cellophane. It is much by preference that the overwrap material has a tear strip for easy removal thereof by the consumer.

Although the present invention is particularly suited to packs of the so- called soft cup type, a smoking article package of the present invention may nevertheless further comprise an outer body portion. For example, a smoking article package according to the invention having a substantially rectangular cross-section may further comprise an outer body portion comprising a front wall, a top wall, a rear wall, a bottom wall and at least two side walls. The outer body may provide a so-called hinge-lid pack as is well know in the art of smoking article packaging.

Preferably the walls of the outer body are configured to provide a parallelepiped pack. Most preferably the walls are each rectangular in shape. The front and rear walls suitably have a height dimension greater than the width dimension thereof.

The terms front wall, top wall, rear wall and bottom wall do not imply any particular orientation of the pack and can equally well be replaced by the terms first wall, second wall, third wall and fourth wall respectively, where each occurs.

It is much by preference that the front and rear faces of the outer wrap around the charge of smoking articles lie adjacent the front and rear walls of the outer body of the smoking article pack.

The smoking article package may have an inner slide and an outer shell (hereinafter referred to as slide-shell packs).

Slide-shell packs for smoking articles differ from conventional hinged lid packs in that the smoking articles are provided in an inner shell which the user slidably moves relative to an outer shell to access the smoking articles. Some slide-shell packs have had a lid-opening mechanism that is activated by the movement of the slide within the shell.

Lid-opening mechanisms for slide-shell packs described in the prior art are mostly of the type having a connection between the outer shell and the lid of inner slide such that the lid is hinged open as the inner slide moves relative to the shell. The connection may be permanent (in which case it typically comprises an adhesive) or may rely on mechanical engagement between respective parts on the outer shell and inner slide. We are here concerned with lid-opening mechanisms which rely on mechanical engagement.

The smoking article package may alternatively comprise a Laube, or flat, box as the outer body portion. Such boxes are well known in the art and are generally rigid, being made of thick card or similar material, and hinged along a minor edge of a major face, or along a major midline or a minor face.

The smoking article package, the wrapper and/or the outer body portion of the smoking article packages described herein are generally rectangular with four faces upstanding from a rectangular base. A pack may have two major faces upstanding from a base, the two faces meeting at two edges. In the examples given, the edges are formed by faces at right angles, but this is not essential to the invention; the smoking article package, the wrapper and/or the outer body portion may have edges at least between the side walls and the front and rear walls which are rounded, bevelled or elliptical, or other edge shapes including those known in the art.

The cross-sectional shape of the base of the pack containing for example cigarettes may be a shape other than a rectangle, for example other quadrilateral shapes such as a square.

Alternatively, it will be understood that the smoking article packages herein described may be used to surround a charge of loose tobacco, referred to in the art for example as roll-your-own tobacco.

The smoking article package may further comprise an inner frame. The inner frame may be disposed within the outer wrap or, alternatively, may be disposed around the outer wrap when, for example, the smoking article package further comprises an outer body portion. In this arrangement, the inner frame will preferably be disposed between the outer wrap and the outer body portion.

In a preferred configuration, the inner frame has a major panel, two elongate side panels and a (bottom) end panel, and flap means comprising two flaps. The long edges of the side panels and the end panel are the major edges and a minor edge, respectively, of the major face. The flaps are at the top ends of the side panels. Thus, upon folding, the frame forms a major face, two long side faces and a bottom end face of a cuboid, with the flaps forming two parts of an incomplete top end face.

It is preferable that the major face is not a complete rectangle, but has a recess in the top edge. When such a recess is present, it is further preferable that the end panel is shaped so that two blank, unfolded, frames placed end-to-end tessellate (i.e. can lie next to each other without overlaps or gaps) thus minimising the amount of material needed.

Of course, inner frames may have single folds between the panels (producing bevelled edges). Alternatively, the sides of the frame may be rounded, for example to be used in a so-called "oval" pack.

The present invention is not limited to single bundles of cigarettes. For example, multiple bundles may be enclosed in the outer wrapp and then inserted together into a further single, outer body portion. Alternatively, multiple bundles, each within an inner frame, may be wrapped together in a single pack-forming outer wrap, to form a semi-rigid pack containing multiple bundles. In order that the present invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a smoking article pack in its closed position prior to opening;

Figure 2 shows a front view of the smoking article pack of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the smoking article pack of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 shows a rear view of the smoking article pack of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a smoking article pack in its partially opened position;

Figure 6 shows a front view of the smoking article pack of Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows a side view of the smoking article pack of Figure 5;

Figure 8 shows a rear view of the smoking article pack of Figure 5; Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a smoking article pack in its fully opened position;

Figure 10 shows a front view of the smoking article pack of Figure 9;

Figure 11 shows a side view of the smoking article pack of Figure 9; and

Figure 12 shows a rear view of the smoking article pack of Figure 9.

Features in common to more than one Figure will be denoted by the same reference numeral.

Figures 1 -4 depict a parallelepiped pack (10) in a fully closed position defined by opposing front and rear faces (12, 14), opposing side faces (16), a base face (not shown) and a top face (20). The pack (10) comprises an inner-wrap layer of metallised paper (best shown in Figure 5) which is completely enveloped by an outer wrap layer (22) of paper material. The outer wrap layer (22) comprises a major (body) portion (24) and a minor (lid) portion (26). The major and minor portions (24, 26) are conjoined by an integral tear strip (28) formed from the same paper material as the outer wrap layer (22) and defined by two parallel lines of perforation (28a, 28b) each extending transversely around the front, rear and opposing side faces (12, 14, 16) of the pack (10). As is apparent from Figures 2 and 4 in particular, the longitudinal position of the tear strip (28) is such that it extends beneath the tax stamp (30) on the opposing front and rear faces (12, 14) of the pack (10).

Figures 5-8 depict the pack (10) after the tear strip (28) is partially torn around its front and side faces (12, 16). As shown in Figures 5-7, the inner-wrap layer (32) of metallised paper underlies the outer wrap (22). The removal of the tear strip (28) separates the major (body) portion (24) and a minor (lid) portion (26) by creating a space formally occupied by the tear strip (28) itself. As best shown in Figure 8, the major and minor portions (24, 26) remain attached to each other along the rear face (14) of the pack (10).

Figures 9-12 depict the pack (10) after the tear strip (28) is completely torn around the entire periphery of the pack (10) and removed together with the minor portion (26) to expose the underlying inner-wrap layer (32) of metallised paper. The major portion (24) of the outer wrap (22) remains in position encasing the majority of the surface area of the inner-wrap layer (32) which contains the smoking articles. In order to prevent separation of the major portion (24) of the outer wrap and the inner-wrap (32) after removal of the minor portion (26), the major portion (24) may be adhesively connected to the inner wrap. It will be appreciated that the positioning of the tear strip (28) proximate the edges of the top face (20) is advantageous for several reasons. Firstly, after opening of the pack, the great majority of the inner-wrap (32), and hence the smoking articles, are enclosed by the major portion (24) of the outer wrap (22). The relatively small exposed portion of the inner-wrap (32) means that there is no compromise in terms of the structural support of a charge of smoking articles contained within the pack (10). Moreover, minimising the exposure of the inner-wrap (32) leads to a consumer impression of increased freshness of the smoking articles contained within the pack (10). Finally, the fact that the tear strip (28) extends beneath the tax stamp (30) provides the pack (10) with additional tamper evidence qualities.

Although not shown in the Figures, the pack (10) may optionally be provided with a conventional transparent flexible wrap of cellophane material which overlies the outer wrap (22). The cellophane overwrap may provide the pack (10) with its barrier properties against the ingress of contaminants. However, it will be appreciated that the cellophane overwrap may be dispensed with in favour of a two-ply pack (10) having an outer wrap (22) to provide the pack (10) with its barrier properties. In order to provide a two-ply pack (10) having barrier properties, it will be appreciated that the tear strip (28) cannot be defined by lines of perforation on the outer wrap (22) as shown in Figures 1 -8 since these would allow the ingress of contaminants. Instead, where the tear strip (28) is integral with the outer wrap (22), it must be defined by other means such as by spaced lines of weakness. The lines of weakness may take the form of score lines or cuts formed on the internal and/or external surfaces of the outer wrap (22). Alternatively, the tear strip (28) may be applied to the outer wrap (22). For example, the tear strip (28) may be glued or otherwise sealed to the external surface of the outer wrap (22) over a pre-formed line which is exposed upon removal of the tear strip (28). In a further alternatively, the tear strip (28) may be applied to the internal surface of the outer wrap (22) beneath a pre-weakened line of separation with its pull tab protruding through the outer wrap (22) to facilitate its operation by the consumer.

The tear strip may be formed from any suitable material, for example, from cardboard, paper, polymer, metal, fibre, degradable or non-degradable material or the like.

Modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the tear strip (28) may extend around the outer wrap (22) of the pack (10) in any orientation. Instead of being defined by two parallel lines of perforation, the tear strip (28) may be provided in a hounds tooth or herring bone configuration. The tear strip (28) may be integral with the outer wrap (22), applied to a surface of the outer wrap (22), or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A soft cup smoking article pack being separable into a major portion and a minor portion along a line of separation; the pack comprising a tear strip aligned with the line of separation and operable to effect separation of the major and minor portions along the line of separation; the pack comprising an inner-wrap for containing a charge of smoking articles, and an outer wrap overlying the entire surface area of the inner-wrap; wherein the tear strip is provided on the outer wrap.

2. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 1 , wherein the line of separation is provided on and/or proximate an edge of the pack.

3. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the line of separation extends transversely around the outer wrap.

4. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the line of separation extends longitudinally around the outer wrap.

5. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the line of separation extends around the entire periphery of the outer wrap.

6. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the outer wrap is defined by opposing front and rear faces, opposing side faces, a base face and a top face.

7. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 6, wherein the line of separation extends around substantially all of the opposing front and rear faces and opposing side faces of the outer wrap.

8. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 7, wherein the line of separation extends around substantially all of the opposing front and rear faces and opposing side faces of the outer wrap in an orientation which is parallel to the respective edges of the top face of the pack.

9. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 8, wherein the line of separation extends around substantially all of the opposing front and rear faces and opposing side faces of the outer wrap in an orientation which is parallel to the respective edges of the top face of the pack and which is at, or above, the lower extremity of a tax stamp.

10. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the line of separation is pre-formed in the material of the outer wrap.

11. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the line of separation is notional and is formed upon operation of the tear strip.

12. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the tear strip is defined by at least two lines of weakening along which the major and minor portions of the outer wrap may be separated.

13. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 12, wherein the tear strip is defined by two parallel lines of weakening.

14. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 13, wherein the two parallel lines of weakening comprise lines of perforation.

15. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 14, wherein the lines of perforation are configured as straight, parallel lines or, alternatively, in a hounds tooth or herring bone configuration.

16. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the tear strip is formed from cardboard, paper, polymer, metal, fibre, degradable or non-degradable material.

17. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the tear strip is formed integrally with the outer wrap.

18. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 17, wherein the tear strip is formed from the same material as the outer wrap.

19. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the tear strip is applied to the outer wrap.

20. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 19, wherein the applied tear strip is applied to the innermost surface of the outer wrap.

21. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the applied tear strip comprises an adhesive surface by which same is applied to the outer wrap.

22. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the pack comprises an integral tear strip having a further tear strip applied thereto.

23. A soft cup smoking article pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the pack further comprises a transparent flexible overwrap.

24. A soft cup smoking article pack according to claim 23, wherein the overwrap material has a tear strip to facilitate removal thereof by the consumer.