WO2014079711A1

WO2014079711A1 - Pack of smoking articles and associated method of packaging

Info

Publication number: WO2014079711A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/073473
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrick PERONACE; Paul A. MEWHA
Original assignee: Jt International S.A.
Priority date: 2012-11-21
Filing date: 2013-11-11
Publication date: 2014-05-30
Also published as: HK1209399A1; MY189244A; SG11201503957TA; TW201425165A; CN104936869B; RU171345U1; EP2922771B1; EP3514081A1; KR101722347B1; PH12015501121B1; TWI615333B; EP2922771A1; CN104936869A; IL238921A0; PH12015501121A1; KR20150088287A; JP2015535513A; IL238921B; JP6095793B2

Abstract

The present invention provides a pack (P) of smoking articles (C), comprising a frame (2) of a semi-rigid material having preferably a major panel (3), side flaps (4) and an end flap (5), which are arranged adjacent a face, opposite sides, and an end, respectively, of a charge (G) of smoking articles; and a flexible barrier sheet (12) around the charge (G) and the frame (2), forming a sealed enclosure; wherein at least one of the side flaps (4) has a cut-out region (7) such that said at least one side flap (4) is discontinuous over a length (L) of the respective opposite side of the charge (G) of smoking articles (C). The present invention also provides a method of packaging smoking articles in such a pack (P).

Description

PACK OF SMOKING ARTICLES AND ASSOCIATED METHOD OF PACKAGING

The present invention concerns packaging of smoking articles, such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and the like, which for the sake of brevity and clarity, will simply be referred to herein as "smoking articles". In particular, the invention relates to a pack of smoking articles, as well as to a blank for a pack of smoking articles and to a system and method of packaging smoking articles.

Cigarette packs generally fall into two broad classes, namely rigid and soft. Soft packs, as the name implies, are formed essentially of soft or flexible sheet materials. Rigid packs, by contrast, have an outer shell of card to contain a charge of cigarettes and typically have a hinged lid, which a user needs to operate to access the smoking articles.

The rigid type pack allows for good protection of the smoking articles and of any inner wrappings, such as a barrier layer provided to hinder moisture ingress or escape, but they can be relatively complex in construction and assembly, which can be a significant cost factor. Soft packs are simpler and cheaper in construction but they carry a higher risk of damage to the contents in transport or handling.

The present invention concerns a hybrid form of packaging for smoking articles (i.e. cigarettes and the like) which may be described as semi-rigid. To date, various protective sheets have been placed between a charge of cigarettes and an outer wrap. Recently, re-sealable packs which combine a rigid outer pack of cardboard and a soft inner pack with a re-sealable flap have been proposed. Such packs aim to improve freshness of the smoking articles. The low rigidity of the re-sealable soft inner pack can make the re-sealable flap difficult to re-seal, however, particularly when a few of the smoking articles have been removed.

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

In accordance with this invention, a pack of smoking articles having the features recited in claim 1 is provided. Various advantageous and/or preferred features of the invention are recited in the dependent claims.

According to one aspect, therefore, the invention provides a pack of smoking articles, comprising: a frame of a semi-rigid material having a major panel arranged adjacent a face of a charge of smoking articles; and a flexible barrier sheet around the frame and the charge forming a sealed enclosure; wherein the frame supports the flexible barrier sheet over the face of the charge of smoking articles and inhibits damage to the smoking articles and/or the flexible barrier sheet under application of external pressure to the pack.

Advantageously, the frame of semi-rigid material, which is placed between the charge of smoking articles and the soft or flexible outer barrier sheet, provides the pack with improved structural stability. Thus, the improved structural stability helps protect the smoking articles in the pack from external pressure. Additionally, where the pack has a re-sealable flap that covers an access aperture into the sealed flexible barrier sheet, the frame provides sufficient counter-support to enable a user to effectively re-seal the pack via the re- sealable flap. As will be appreciated, the charge of smoking articles, and thus also the frame and, correspondingly, the pack itself, typically has a generally rectangular prismatic or rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid form.

In a preferred embodiment, the flexible barrier sheet may be attached to the frame of semi-rigid material in the pack; for example, by an adhesive or heat-activated bond.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame of the pack includes side flaps arranged adjacent opposite sides of the charge of smoking articles. The side flaps preferably have at least one cut-out region such that each side flap is discontinuous over a length of the respective opposite side of the charge of smoking articles. The side flaps are further substantially symmetrical with respect to one another and/or the major panel.

Thus, according to another aspect, the invention provides a pack of smoking articles, comprising: a frame of a semi-rigid material having a major panel, side flaps, and optionally one or more end flap, which are arranged adjacent a face, opposite sides, and an end, respectively, of a charge of smoking articles; and a flexible barrier sheet placed around the charge and the frame to form a sealed enclosure; wherein at least one of the side flaps has a cut-out region, such that said at least one side flap is discontinuous over a length of the respective side of the charge of smoking articles . By employing a cut-out region in at least one, and preferably both, of the side flaps, it has been found that the frame may provide enhanced structural stability to the pack while keeping a "soft" feel for the consumer similar to the soft packs described above. The discontinuous nature of the side flap caused by the cut-out region means that the extent of the side flap is interrupted over a length of the respective side of the pack or that the side flap is not co-extensive with that side of the pack. In this regard, the cut-out region in the side flap is preferably provided in a substantially central region of the length of the respective side of the charge of smoking articles, or alternatively in an upper part of that side remote from the end flap. In this regard, the frame may optionally include an end flap, which is preferably at a base or lower part of the pack.

In a preferred embodiment, the frame of semi-rigid material has a substantially flat or planar form in a non-assembled or blank state. That is, the major panel, the side flaps with their cut-out regions, and the optional end flap of the frame all have a substantially flat or planar structure and are typically in hinged connection with one another along common edges. The semi-rigid material is therefore preferably a semi-rigid sheet material, such as card, stiffened paper, paperboard, fibreboard, polymer sheet material, or the like. Although the semi-rigid sheet material may be relatively flexible, regardless of its composition it should nevertheless also be dimensionally stable in order to impart structural stability to the pack of smoking articles, and thereby to protect the packaging and the smoking articles from damage (e.g. inadvertent compression or crushing) during transport and storage. In a preferred embodiment, the major panel of the frame has a reinforced region, which may be of greater thickness than in other parts of the frame. For example, the reinforced region may comprise a multi-layered or folded-over portion of the semi-rigid material, which is optionally bonded to the major panel with adhesive. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the multi-layered or folded-over portion of the semi-rigid material is formed from the cut-out region of said at least one of the side flaps. In this way, the cut-out region can be employed not only to generate an enhanced soft-pack feel, but also to create a reinforcing flap, which may be bonded to the major panel of the frame.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a pack of smoking articles, comprising a frame of a semi-rigid material having a major panel, side flaps, and optionally an end flap arranged adjacent a face, opposite sides, and (optionally) an end, respectively, of a charge of smoking articles; and a flexible barrier sheet around the charge and the frame, forming a sealed enclosure; wherein the major panel includes a reinforced region, which desirably comprises a multi- layered or folded-over portion of the semi-rigid material. Thus, each reinforced region of the major panel is generally thicker than another part of frame.

Typically, the flexible barrier sheet of the pack is wrapped around the charge and the frame to form the sealed enclosure by virtue of sealed seams. In this embodiment, at least one of the sealed seams is preferably arranged to extend in one of the cut-out regions and/or in the reinforced region of the frame. Thus, the frame in this embodiment is configured to better support the wrapping and sealing of the flexible barrier sheet during the packaging process. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the frame encompasses two minor sides, at least one end, and only one major face of a cuboid formed by the charge of smoking articles. That is, the frame preferably includes only one major panel. This major panel may be arranged over a rear face of the charge of smoking articles, but is more preferably located over a front face of the pack. By only covering one major face of the charge of smoking articles, the semi-rigid pack of the invention better imparts the feel of a soft pack to the consumer, while nevertheless still protecting the smoking articles contained therein. Typically, each side flap of the frame with its respective cut-out region is hingedly attached to the major panel along a respective edge, with an opposite edge of each side flap being a free edge remote from the major panel. Similarly, the at least one optional end flap may be hinged to the major panel along a common edge.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the flexible barrier sheet is comprised of a metal foil or a plastic laminate or film, such as a metallized plastic film. The barrier sheet desirably has a re-sealable access aperture or flap which is arranged at an upper end of the pack and the barrier sheet is preferably continuous in the location of the access aperture. Furthermore, the barrier sheet is preferably continuous over at least one end of the charge of smoking articles, particularly the lower end of the pack. The pack may further comprise a soft outer wrap of a flexible sheet material. According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a blank for a pack of smoking articles, the blank comprising a semi-rigid sheet material and including at least one major panel which corresponds to a face of the pack, preferably side flaps which extend along laterally opposite sides of the major panel, and optionally also an end flap arranged at one end of the major panel, wherein at least one of the side flaps has a cut-out region, such that said at least one side flap is discontinuous over a length of that respective side of the major panel. Furthermore, or in the alternative, the major panel may include a reinforced region, which desirably has a multi-layered or folded-over portion of the semi-rigid material. As noted above, the reinforced region of the major panel may comprise a reinforcing flap which is formed from the cut-out region of the side flap. Thus, the blank of the invention is designed to be assembled, e.g. by folding, to form the frame in the pack of the present invention. According to yet another aspect, the invention also provides a method of packaging smoking articles, such as cigarettes or the like, comprising the steps of:

providing a frame of semi-rigid material, the frame having at least one major panel;

placing the frame over or around a charge of the smoking articles in such a way that the major panel abuts and/or covers a face of the charge of smoking articles;

wrapping or enclosing the charge of smoking articles and the frame with a flexible barrier sheet to form a sealed enclosure around the charge and the frame.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the charge and the frame are wrapped or enclosed with the flexible barrier sheet by sealing portions of the barrier sheet together to form one or more seams. In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the step of attaching the frame to the flexible barrier sheet; for example, by adhesive or thermal bonding. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the frame includes side flaps at laterally opposite sides of the major panel and optionally at least a partial end flap at an end of the major panel, wherein each of the side flaps has a cut-out region such that each side flap is discontinuous over the respective side of the major panel, and wherein at least one of the seams formed in the flexible barrier sheet extends in the cut-out region of said side flaps. According to a preferred embodiment, therefore, the invention provides a method of packaging smoking articles, such as cigarettes or the like, comprising the steps of:

providing a frame of semi-rigid material for supporting a charge of smoking articles in a pack, the frame including a major panel, side flaps at laterally opposite sides of the major panel, and at least a partial end flap at an end of the major panel, wherein at least one of the side flaps has a cut-out region such that the said at least one side flap is discontinuous over the respective side of the major panel; placing the frame around a charge of smoking articles in such a way that the major panel, side flaps, and the end flap respectively abut a face, sides, and at least part of one end of the charge of smoking articles;

In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the step of forming a reinforced region in the major panel of the frame, preferably by bonding a reinforcing flap from each cut-out region to the major panel, before placing the frame over or around the charge of the smoking articles. Thus, the major panel of the frame may have a reinforced region which desirably includes a multi-layered or folded-over portion of the semi-rigid material, which may be adhesively bonded to the major panel. As noted previously, in a particularly preferred embodiment the multi-layered or folded-over portion of the semi-rigid sheet material can be formed from the cut^¬ out region of at least one, or both, of the side flaps. In this way, the cut-out region can on the one hand create an enhanced soft-pack "feel", while on the other hand also generating a reinforcing flap to be bonded to the major panel of the frame.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the charge and the frame are wrapped or enclosed with the flexible barrier sheet by sealing portions of the flexible barrier sheet together to form one or more seams. Preferably, at least one of the seams formed in the flexible barrier sheet is arranged to extend in the cut-out region and/or in the reinforced region of the frame. In this way, the major panel of the frame can be configured to support the wrapping and sealing of the flexible barrier sheet during the packaging method.

For a more complete understanding of the invention and the advantages thereof, exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank for packaging smoking articles according to one particular embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the blank in Fig. 1 folded or assembled to form a packaging frame and placed around a charge of cigarettes; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank for packaging smoking articles according to another embodiment; is a perspective view of the blank in Fig. 3 folded or assembled to form a packaging frame and placed around a charge of cigarettes; is a perspective front view of a pack of smoking articles according to a particular embodiment; is a perspective rear view of the pack of smoking articles in Fig. 5; is a plan view of a blank for packaging smoking articles according to a further embodiment; is a perspective view of the blank in Fig. 7 folded or assembled to form a packaging frame and placed around a charge of cigarettes; is a plan view of a blank for packaging smoking articles according to yet another embodiment; is a perspective view of the blank in Fig. 9 folded or assembled to form a packaging frame;

Fig. 11 schematically illustrates a system for performing the packaging method according to an embodiment.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate particular embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood with reference to the following detailed description.

It will be appreciated that common and well understood elements that may be useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are not necessarily depicted in order to facilitate a more abstracted view of the embodiments. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily illustrated to scale relative to each other. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps in an embodiment of a method may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrences while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used in the present specification have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study, except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. Referring firstly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a blank 1 for use in the packaging of smoking articles, e.g. cigarettes or the like, is shown in Fig. 1 before it is assembled and/or folded to form a frame 2 which is placed around a group or charge G of the cigarettes C in the packaging procedure, as shown in Fig. 2. The blank 1, and thus also the frame 2, is formed of a semi-rigid sheet material, such as card or fibre- board, which - although certainly flexible - is nevertheless sufficiently dimensionally stable to support and protect the charge G of cigarettes C in a pack, shown later.

The blank 1 and the frame 2 include a major central panel 3, side flaps 4 in hinged connection with the major panel 3 at laterally opposite sides thereof, and an end flap 5 in hinged connection with the major panel 3 at one end thereof. In this regard, the hinged connections between the major panel 3 and the respective side and end flaps 4, 5 are shown in Fig. 1 as broken lines, whereas the solid lines represent separations or cuts. The hinge or fold lines (broken) and the cut lines (solid) naturally influence 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 configured to encompass or to cover a major face, two minor sides and at least one end of a rectangular or cuboid shape that is formed by the charge G of cigarettes C. In particular, the major panel 3 of the frame 2 covers a major (e.g. front or rear) face of the cuboid shape formed by the charge G of cigarettes, the side flaps 4 of the frame 2 are arranged adjacent the two opposite minor sides of the charge G of cigarettes, and the end flap 5 corresponds to a base flap arranged to support the ends of the cigarettes C in the charge G. As is apparent from Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the major panel 3 includes an aperture 6 at an upper edge region thereof which facilitates access to the cigarettes C in the charge G covered by the frame 2. Furthermore, it will be noted that the side flaps 4 at each of the laterally opposite sides of the major panel 3 include a central cut-out region 7. As a result, the side flaps 4 are discontinuous over the length L (i.e. do not extend over the full length L) of the major panel 3 and/or of the charge G of cigarettes C. With reference to Figs. 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. Again, the folding or hinged connections between the major panel 3 and the side flaps 4 and end flap 5 are shown in broken lines whereas cuts or separations are illustrated as solid lines. With regard to the side flaps 4, the cut-out region 7 in this embodiment is formed by two parallel cut lines, which create a central reinforcing flap 8 at each laterally opposite side of the major panel 3. During assembly of the blank 1 to form the frame 2 shown in Fig. 4, these reinforcing flaps 8 are folded inwardly to thereby form the cut-out region 7 in the side flaps 4, but also simultaneously to form a reinforced region 9 of the major panel 3. In particular, the reinforcing flaps 8 are adhesively bonded to the major panel 3, e.g. via glue spots 10, as the packaging frame 2 is assembled from the blank 1. In this way, the reinforced regions 9 of the major panel 3 are double-layered or folded-over portions having a greater thickness, and thus greater stiffness and strength, in the frame 2. In this embodiment, the access aperture 6 for accessing the cigarettes C may be formed by a frangible seam, e.g. a line of perforations, which enable a consumer to break away a portion 11 at an upper edge region of the major panel 3 to form the access aperture 6.

With reference now to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, a pack P of cigarettes C according to a particular embodiment of the invention is illustrated in perspective front and rear views. This particular pack P of cigarettes may include the frame 2 shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 4. In this regard, the side flaps 4 of the frame 2 in this cigarette pack P have central cut-out regions 7 which are consistent with the blanks 1 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 of the drawings. Accordingly, the pack P of cigarettes C in Figs. 5 and 6 has a frame 2 of card material arranged such that the major panel 3 of the frame is adjacent to a front face of the rectangular or cuboid-shaped charge G of cigarettes, the side flaps 4 are adjacent to the laterally opposite minor sides of the charge G of cigarettes C, and the end flap 5 of the frame 2 forms a base for the ends of the cigarettes C in the charge G, respectively.

The cigarette pack P furthermore includes a flexible barrier sheet 12 which is wrapped around the frame 2 and the charge G of cigarettes to form a sealed enclosure. In particular, the flexible barrier sheet 12 is closed and sealed along lateral and transverse seams 13, 14. It will also be noted that the flexible barrier sheet 12 includes a perforation line 15 to provide a re-sealable access flap or opening 16 at the upper end of the pack P which at least partially overlaps with the access aperture 6 formed in the major panel 3 of the frame 2. The major panel 3 of the frame 2 is desirably also attached to the flexible barrier sheet 12, e.g. via adhesive provided at glue points 17, to secure the frame 2 in position within the flexible barrier sheet 12 and to enhance structural integrity and rigidity of the pack P.

With reference briefly to Fig. 11 of the drawings, a system or apparatus 100 for packaging smoking articles, such as cigarettes C or the like, according to one embodiment of this invention is illustrated. As apparent from Fig. 11, a series of packaging frames 2, each of which is respectively combined with a charge G of cigarettes, is transported in direction of arrow A along a packaging path by apparatus 100. The charged packaging frames 2 are conveyed under a continuous flexible barrier sheet 12 (e.g. a plastic laminate film) which is fed from a supply roll (not shown) . The barrier sheet 12 has pre- formed re-sealable access flaps or openings 16 for alignment with the respective access apertures 6 in the front major panel 3 of each frame 2 transported under the barrier sheet. Rollers 101 arranged below the serially progressing frames 2 draw the flexible barrier sheet 12 tautly over the front and rear faces of the frames 2 and against opposite ends of the frames 2 and the respective charges G of cigarettes, thereby wrapping same. The rollers 101 then cooperate with a sealing head 102 to fuse or seal the drawn barrier sheet 12 along the transverse seam 13. A further elongate sealing head 103 (or pair thereof) following the rollers 101 then operate (s) to clamp and fuse a lateral seam 14 (e.g. as a "fin seal") in the barrier sheet 12 between each of the frames 2 with its respective cigarette charge G to form the individual packs P. Trimmers 104 and rollers 105 may then trim and flatten the seams 13, 14 (e.g. the lateral seams 14 along opposite sides) to complete the individual packs P. Furthermore, the pack P may optionally be inserted into additional packaging, such as a rigid box, or may be additionally wrapped in another flexible outer wrap of polypropylene or the like.

Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings, a further embodiment of a blank 1 for packaging cigarettes C or other smoking articles is illustrated both in a flat state (Fig. 7) as well as in an assembled or folded state (Fig. 8) forming a packaging frame 2 covering a charge G of cigarettes. In this embodiment, the main difference from the previous embodiments relates to the formation and position of the cut-out region 7 in the side flaps 4 of the blank 1. Specifically, the cut-out region 7 is now provided in an upper part of the side flaps 4 instead of in a central region, as was the case with the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 4. Therefore, the side flaps 4 are clearly non-continuous over the length L of the side of major panel 3 and/or pack P in this upper cut-out region 7. As with the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4, however, cut-out region 7 does form a reinforcing flap 8 which is folded and bonded to the major panel 3 to again form reinforced regions 9, e.g. via adhesive bonding at glue points 10.

Finally, Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 of the drawings illustrate yet another embodiment of a blank 1 for forming a packaging frame 2 for use in a pack P of cigarettes or other smoking articles according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the frame 2 comprises simply a major panel 3 and an end panel 5, which forms an abutting foot for positioning the frame 2 over a charge G of smoking articles as shown in Fig. 10. In this embodiment the frame 2 may be attached to an outer flexible barrier sheet 12 to form a pack P according to the invention with improved structural rigidity.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations exist. It should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Generally, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein.

For example, it will be appreciated that the reference to a "cut-out region" 7 in a blank 1 and a packaging frame 2 of a pack according to the invention, is not intended to mean that this region 7 is necessarily formed by "cutting". Rather, the term "cut-out region" is simply intended to describe a recess or gap or an absence of material, which may be formed by any appropriate process including, but not limited to, cutting.

Also, it will be appreciated that in this document, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "include", "including", "contain", "containing", "have", "having", and any variations thereof, are intended to be understood in an inclusive (i.e. non^¬ exclusive) sense, such that the process, method, device, apparatus or system described herein is not limited to those features or parts or elements or steps recited but may include other elements, features, parts or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the terms "a" and "an" used herein are intended to be understood as meaning one or more unless explicitly stated otherwise. Moreover, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on or to establish a certain ranking of importance of their ob ects . List of Reference Signs

1 blank

2 frame

3 major panel

4 side flap

5 end flap

6 access aperture

7 cut-out region

8 reinforcing flap

9 reinforced region

10 glue points

11 removable portion

12 flexible barrier sheet

13 lateral seam

14 transverse seam

15 perforation line

16 re-sealable access opening

17 bonding or glue points

18 upper edge of major panel

100 apparatus

101 rollers

102 sealing head

103 sealing head

104 trimmer

105 roller

P pack

L length of side of major panel or pack

C cigarette

G charge of cigarettes

Claims

Claims :

A pack (P) of smoking articles (C) , comprising:

a frame (2) of a semi-rigid material having a major panel (3) arranged adjacent a face of a charge (G) of smoking articles; and

a flexible barrier sheet (12) around the frame (2) and the charge (G) , forming a sealed enclosure;

wherein the frame (2) supports the flexible barrier sheet (12) over the face of the charge (G) of smoking articles and inhibits damage to the smoking articles (C) and/or to the flexible barrier sheet (12) from external pressure applied to the pack. 2. A pack (P) according to claim 1, wherein the frame (2) is attached to the flexible barrier sheet (12) .

A pack (P) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the frame (2) includes side flaps (4) arranged adjacent opposite sides of the charge (G) of smoking articles, each of the side flaps (4) having at least one cut-out region

(7) such that each side flap (4) is discontinuous over a length of the respective opposite side of the charge of smoking articles, wherein the side flaps (4) are substantially symmetrical with respect to the major panel ( 3 ) .

A pack (P) according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the major panel (3) of the frame (2) includes a reinforced region (9) .

A pack (P) according to claim 4, wherein the reinforced region (9) comprises a multi-layered or folded portion of the semi-rigid material, which is preferably bonded to the major panel (3) .

A pack (P) according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the reinforced region (9) of the major panel (3) is formed from flaps

(8) derived from the cut-out regions (7) of said side flaps (4) .

A pack (P) according to any of claims 3 to 6, wherein the flexible barrier sheet (12) is wrapped around the charge (G) of smoking articles (C) and the frame (2), and forms the sealed enclosure via one or more sealed seams (13, 14), wherein at least one of the sealed seams (13, 14) is arranged to extend in the cut-out region (7) and/or in the reinforced region

(9) .

A pack (P) according to any of claims 3 to 7, wherein each of the side flaps (4) of the frame (2) is in hinged attachment with the major panel (3) along a respective edge, whereby an opposite edge of each side flap (4) is a free edge remote from the major panel (3); and/or

wherein the frame (2) encompasses two minor sides and only one major face of a cuboid shape formed by the charge (G) of smoking articles (C) .

A pack (P) according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the flexible barrier sheet (12) is comprised of a metal foil, a plastics laminate or a metallized plastics film; and/or

wherein the barrier sheet (12) has a re-sealable access aperture (16) and is preferably continuous in the location of the access aperture (16); and/or wherein the barrier sheet (12) is continuous over at least one end of the charge (G) of smoking articles.

10. A pack (P) according to any of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a soft outer wrap of flexible sheet material, or a rigid or semi-rigid outer casing.

11. A method of packaging smoking articles, comprising the steps of :

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of attaching the frame to the flexible barrier sheet .

13. A method according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the charge and the frame are wrapped or enclosed with the flexible barrier sheet by sealing portions of the barrier sheet together to form one or more seams.

14. A method according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the frame includes side flaps at laterally opposite sides of the major panel and preferably at least a partial end flap at an end of the major panel, wherein each of the side flaps has a cut-out region such that each side flap is discontinuous over the respective side of the major panel, and wherein at least one of the seams formed in the flexible barrier sheet extends in the cut-out region of said side flaps.

A method according to any of claims 11 to 14, further comprising the step of forming a reinforced region in the major panel of the frame, preferably by bonding a reinforcing flap from each cut-out region to the major panel, before the step of placing the frame over or around the charge of the smoking articles wherein the major panel of the frame has a reinforced region and at least one of the seams formed in the flexible barrier sheet extends in the reinforced region of the major panel, and wherein the step of providing the frame preferably comprises providing a blank and assembling the blank into the frame.