WO2021213909A1

WO2021213909A1 - Capsule and method for sealing a capsule

Info

Publication number: WO2021213909A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/059873
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juan Alejandro LEON ARCINIEGA
Original assignee: Jt International Sa
Priority date: 2020-04-21
Filing date: 2021-04-16
Publication date: 2021-10-28

Abstract

The invention relates to a capsule (1) usable in a smoking product, wherein the capsule (1) comprises at least one sidewall (2), a top wall (4) and a bottom wall (6), which together confine an inside (8) of the capsule (1) in which a flavoring material (10) is arranged, wherein the inside (8) of the capsule (1) and the top and bottom walls (4, 6) are permeable to a vapor flow (F) directed into and out of the capsule (1) and wherein the sidewall (2) is impermeable to the vapor flow (F), wherein the vapor (12) is flavorable by interaction with the flavoring material (8). The invention is characterized by a sealing (14) removably arranged at the capsule (1), wherein the sealing (14) seals the inside (8) of the capsule (1) with respect to the outside (18) of the capsule (1).

Description

Capsule and method for sealing a capsule

Description

The present invention relates to a capsule usable in a smoking product, wherein the capsule comprises at least one sidewall, a top wall and a bottom wall, which together confine an inside of the capsule in which a flavoring material is arranged, wherein the inside of the capsule and the top and bottom walls are permeable to a vapor flow directed into and out of the capsule and wherein the sidewall is impermeable to the vapor flow, wherein the vapor is flavorable by interaction with the flavoring material.

In order to maintain the moisture and freshness of the flavoring material in such capsules, the capsules are provided in an individual secondary packaging out of plastic, for example a plastic foil or a blister pack. Although it prevents the flavoring material from degradation, such addi tional plastic packaging is undesirable as it denotes additional waste, which pollutes the envi ronment.

It is therefore the objective of the invention to provide a means for maintaining the desired moisture level and freshness of a flavoring material inside a capsule as an alternative to a plastic secondary packaging, which reduces the overall waste.

The afore mentioned problems are solved by a capsule usable in a smoking product, wherein the capsule comprises at least one sidewall, a top wall and a bottom wall, which together con- fine an inside of the capsule in which a flavoring material is arranged, wherein the inside of the capsule and the top and bottom walls are permeable to a vapor flow directed into and out of the capsule and wherein the sidewall is impermeable to the vapor flow, wherein the vapor is flavorable by interaction with the flavoring material. The capsule is characterized by a sealing removably arranged at the capsule, wherein the sealing seals the inside of the capsule with respect to the outside of the capsule.

The capsules side, top and bottom walls preferably consist of plastic. Top and bottom walls are preferably perforated to realize the permeability. Such capsules are preferably used in an electronic smoking product, which is able to generate a vapor. The vapor may be generated from a vaporizable liquid. The liquid preferably does not contain any flavor. In the smoking product, the vapor is then directed through the capsule comprising the flavoring material. The vapor is directed into the capsule via the permeable top or bottom wall and is directed out of the capsule through the respective other wall. As the flavoring material is arranged in the inside of the capsule, it is arranged between the top and bottom wall. Upon interaction with the fla voring material, the vapor is flavored. However, it is also conceivable to use the capsule of this invention with other smoking products.

With the sealing the inside of the capsule is sealed with respect to the outside of the capsule. The sealing is advantageous for the time from production of the capsule to its actual use in a smoking product in order to prevent any moisture or freshness loss of the flavoring material until the actual use of the capsule. As the flavoring material is arranged in the inside of the capsule, the flavoring material is sealed within the capsule. Also the overall interaction of the atmosphere in the capsule with the atmosphere outside of the capsule is prohibited. In other words, the sealing provides a barrier between the inside of the capsule and the outside, i.e. the sealing provides barrier properties. As a result, the flavoring material is protected from moisture loss to and/or gain from the outside of the capsule and the freshness of the flavoring material is maintained.

As the sealing is removably arranged at the capsule, it can be removed. By removal of the sealing from the capsule, the sealing no longer seals the inside of the capsule with respect to the outside of the capsule. After the sealing is removed, the vapor flow can be directed through the capsule and the vapor can be flavored by interaction with the flavoring material. Thus, to use the capsule with the smoking product, only the sealing has to be removed. There is no need for any additional secondary packaging, as the sealing already maintains the moisture and freshness of the flavoring material inside the capsule. In this way no secondary packaging is needed for this capsule and the overall amount of waste is reduced. Preferably, the sealing is easy to remove. Preferably, the tearing force needed to remove the sealing from the capsule is between 5 to 25 N/mm, even more preferred 10 to 20 N/mm.

Preferably, the capsules are sold to the consumers is bundles of several capsules in terms of convenience. Preferably, several capsules are grouped together with bio-degradable packag ing. The bio-degradable packaging preferably consists of paper or board. Preferably, the bio degradable packaging is a box, a bag and/or a tray. The tray preferably comprises several molds. Preferably, one capsule can be fitted in one mold. The molds are preferably arranged in a matrix arrangement on the tray. As the sealing of the capsules is already accomplished by the sealing, the packaging mentioned in this embodiment comprises no sealing properties. This enables the use of bio-degradable materials such as paper or board.

According to another embodiment the sealing comprises at least one sealing layer removably arranged on the outside of the capsule. In this embodiment the sealing is a sealing layer. The term layer denotes a material having a lateral extent with a comparably very small extent per pendicular to the lateral extent. Using a sealing layer enables the use of a thin material layer for sealing. This further reduces the overall material usage for the sealing. Also a sealing layer can be easily arranged on the outside of the capsule, which reduces manufacturing costs. Furthermore, permeable parts of the capsule can be covered with the sealing layer so that a sealing of the inside of the capsule with respect to the outside of the capsule is easy to manu facture.

According to another embodiment two flexible sealing layers are removably arranged parallel to the respective surfaces of top and bottom wall on the outside of the capsule and affixed to an outer surface of the capsule, wherein the sealing layers seal the inside of the capsule with respect to the outside of the capsule. The sealing layers are strategically placed parallel to the top and bottom wall on the outside of the capsule. By being parallel to the top and bottom wall on the outside of the capsule, the sealing layers can prohibit any flow through the top and bottom wall. This makes the top and bottom wall together with the sealing layers impermeable to a vapor flow. The impermeable combination of sealing layers with top and bottom wall and the already impermeable sidewall prohibits any fluid communication between the inside of the capsule and the outside of the capsule and therewith seals the capsule. By using two sealing layers, which are preferably separate, the amount of material needed for the sealing can be further reduced. This further reduces the overall amount of waste generated with the use of a capsule. The sealing layer is preferably flexible. With the flexibility the sealing layer material is easier to arrange in the desired shape on the capsule. Also sealing layers are easy to remove from the capsule for the customer. A layer can be easily removed by peeling the layer. As already mentioned the tearing force needed to remove the sealing from the capsule is prefer ably between 5 to 25 N/mm, even more preferred 10 to 20 N/mm.

According to another embodiment the capsule comprises a cylindrical shape and a flexible sealing layer edge protrudes parallel to the side wall, creating a respective overlap area of the sealing layer with the side wall, and is circumferentially affixed thereto. Preferably, the sealing layers are respectively arranged parallel to top and bottom wall, according to the previously described embodiment. With the cylindrical shape of the capsule, the top and bottom wall com prise a circular shape and the sidewall denotes the lateral area of the cylindrical shape. Pref erably, the sealing layer also comprise a circular shape. Preferably, the diameter of the circular shape of the sealing layers is larger than the diameter of the circular shape of the top and bottom wall. In this way, the respective sealing layer protrudes over the edge of the top or bottom wall with its sealing layer edge when arranged parallel to the top or bottom wall. The sealing layer edge is then folded towards the sidewall creating the respective overlap area. The sealing layer is affixed to the side wall circumferentially in the overlap area. In this way, the sealing layers can be affixed to the capsule while covering the whole permeable top and bottom wall with a very small affixation area. Also only one affixation area per sealing layer is needed. Due to the cylindrical shape of the capsule the affixation area also comprises no edges or corners. This makes the affixation of the sealing layer to the capsule more reliable and therefore also improves the sealing quality.

According to another embodiment the respective sealing layers are not affixed to the top and bottom wall. Preferably, the sealing layers are only affixed to the other parts of the capsule. In this way the permeable character of the top and bottom wall is not compromised after removal of the sealing layers by potential affixation residues. Such residues could be glue, other fixation residues or parts of the sealing layers remaining on the affixation areas on the capsule after removal of the sealing layers. This embodiment is also favorable in terms of top and bottom wall design as these do not have to withstand the removal forces during the removal of the sealing layers.

According to another embodiment a first surface of the sealing layer, which is directed towards the inside of the capsule, is coated with glue which can be activated by heat. Due to the fact that the glue is activated by heat, the whole first surface of the sealing layer can be coated with the glue independent of whether later arranged in the affixation area or not. The glue can then be activated only in the affixation area. This leaves areas of the capsule, in which the sealing layers are not supposed to be affixed to the capsule, free of glue. In this way, the glue application needs to be less precise. The first surface of the sealing layer may even be completely pre-coated before entering the machine in which the capsules are sealed. This enables a much easier production and much more cost effective manufacturing. Preferably, the glue leaves no trace on the capsule once the sealing layer is removed also in the areas in which the glue has been activated by heat. This is important to prevent any kind of contamination of the smoking device with which the capsule is used.

According to another embodiment the sealing material comprises a metal, a polymer and/or a biodegradable polymer, preferably aluminum, silicon, PET and/or PLA. These materials comprise good barrier properties. They are also safe to use with consumable products, as they are widely used in the food industry for packaging. P1_A is even biodegradable. In this way a further reduction of the environmental impact of the capsule is possible.

According to another embodiment the sealing material is a composite material comprising at least two different material layers affixed planarly to each other. By using a composite material it is possible to combine favorable properties of different materials in one sealing. The materials are preferably planarly affixed to each other. In this way a first material layer may be sandwiched between two outer layers, which denote top and bottom layer. Also one material type can be arranged to form the first surface of the sealing layer, which is directed towards the capsule, and a second material can be arranged to form a second surface of the sealing layer, directed to the surrounding of the capsule. For example it is possible to combine a superior affixability of a first material, which may then be arranged to form the first surface, with superior barrier properties of a second material, which may then be arranged to form the second surface or a sandwich layer. In this way, the sealing material properties can be tailored to the specific demands.

According to another embodiment the sealing comprises a thickness of at least 10 pm, preferably 15 pm, and up to 100 pm, preferably 50 pm, even more preferred 40 pm. The given thickness ranges are selected to provide a proper functioning of the sealing material. If the sealing is too thin machine handling of the sealing material is difficult. Also the danger of violation of the sealed capsule increases with a sealing material being too thin, as the sealing materials tear and puncture resistance is critically reduced. If the sealing material is too thick, too much power is necessary for folding and affixing the sealing to the capsule. In summary, the sealing material must not be too thick or too thin to ensure proper machine handling. This is of special importance as the machines operate at highest speeds which makes the process window for proper machine handling very small.

According to another embodiment the sealing material is impermeable to water and vapor and that it is air-tight. This embodiment is favorable as humidity (i.e. water and/or vapor) are con tained inside the capsule with a sealing material being impermeable to water and vapor. In this way, the flavoring material is prevented from drying, which would lead to a deterioration of the aroma deliverable by the capsule. Also, air should not circulate in and out of the capsule as long as the capsule is not used, as this might promote humidity loss, may carry away aroma from the flavoring material and also may introduce unwanted aroma into the capsule. By using an air-tight sealing material this is prohibited and the flavoring material is prevented from any degradation (i.e. moisture and freshness loss) before use.

The objective of this invention is also reached by a method for sealing a capsule usable in a smoking product, wherein the capsule comprises at least one sidewall, a top wall and a bottom wall, which together confine an inside of the capsule in which a flavoring material is arranged, wherein the inside of the capsule and the top and bottom walls are permeable to a vapor flow directed into and out of the capsule and wherein the sidewall is impermeable to the vapor flow, wherein the vapor is flavorable by interaction with the flavoring material, comprising the steps:

Placing at least one sealing at the capsule;

Removably affixing the sealing to the capsule, wherein the inside of the capsule is sealed with respect to the outside of the capsule.

By affixation of the sealing to the capsule, the moisture and freshness of the flavoring material is maintained without the need for secondary packaging. By affixing the sealing removably to the capsule, the sealing can be removed by the consumer prior to the usage of the capsule. Preferably, the sealing is easy to remove. Therefore, the tearing force needed to remove the sealing from the capsule is preferably between 5 to 25 N/mm, even more preferred 10 to 20 N/mm. In this way, the flavoring material can be stored inside the capsule without any moisture or freshness loss. The sealing of the capsule may be incorporated into the capsule manufac turing process, preferably as a last step. This makes the sealing easy to integrate into the manufacturing process. According to another embodiment the sealing comprises two sealing layers the edges which are arranged parallel to the respective surfaces of top and bottom wall on the outside of the capsule and the sealing layers are folded towards the side wall, creating a respective overlap area of the sealing layer with the side wall. Using a sealing layer as a sealing enables low material usage and therefore less waste. Aside from the very small overlap area between seal ing layers and sidewall, only the permeable areas, namely top and bottom wall of the capsule are covered with sealing layer, which further enables low material usage leading to less waste production. The folding of the sealing layer edge towards the side wall is a very simple and efficient way to create and overlap with impermeable side wall. This ensures the complete sealing of the permeable top and bottom walls in a very simple and cost effective process.

According to another embodiment the sealing layers are affixed only to the sidewall of the capsule and the affixation is carried out circumferentially in the overlap area. In this way any unwanted residues from fixation means on the top and/or bottom wall, which might compro mise the permeability of top and/or bottom wall to the vapor flow, are avoided. In this way, the proper functioning of the capsule after removal of the sealing is ensured.

The circumferential affixation is easy to implement to the machinery, as the overlap area in which the affixation area is located is easily accessible on the sidewall of the capsule. Prefer ably, the capsule comprises a cylindrical shape. With the cylindrical shape of the capsule, the top and bottom wall comprise a circular shape and the sidewall denotes the lateral area of the cylindrical shape. This shape gives the circumferential affixation a circular shape without any edges or corner. This reduces possible weak points of the sealing, where the sealing might be unsufficiently affixed to the capsule and fluid communication between the inside of the capsule and the outside would be possible to a small extent. As such weak points are prone to form at edges or corner of the affixation area, the elimination of edges and corners from the affixation area will improve the sealing quality and increase the production yield.

According to another embodiment a first surface of the sealing layers, which is directed towards the inside of the capsule, is coated with glue and that the sealing layers are affixed to the capsule by heat activation of the glue.

The glue layer may be pre-coated onto the first surface of the sealing layer before arranging sealing layer on capsule. This enables an easy coating process without the need for high pre cision regarding the glue placement. Also any spilling of glue to unwanted areas, e.g. top or bottom wall, or parts of the sidewall which do not belong to the overlap area. With the heat activation, the gluing properties are only present in the affixation area. This means that the tear forces subjected to the capsule during removal of the sealing are only directed to the affixation area. Preferably, the tearing force needed to remove the sealing from the capsule is between 5 to 25 N/mm, even more preferred 10 to 20 N/mm. This is advantageous as the affixation area is configures to withstand such forces, whereas other parts of the capsule may not. Also the top and bottom wall are not contaminated with any glue, which might harm their permea bility. The necessary amount of heat to activate the glue can be applied locally to the affixation area. Preferably, the heat is applied from the easily accessible second surface of the sealing layer, which is directed to the surrounding of the capsule, towards the first surface of the seal ing layer. Preferably, the glue leaves no trace on the capsule once the sealing layer is removed also in the areas in which the glue has been activated by heat. This is important to prevent any kind of contamination of the smoking device with which the capsule is used. Altogether, this affixation method is easy to implement into the manufacturing process and results in a reliable sealing with high production yield.

According to another embodiment the sealing layers are affixed to the capsule by ultrasonic welding. This embodiment is an alternative to the previously describes affixation method by heat application but may also be used in addition to this method. With the ultrasonic welding no glue is needed. This reduces the number of materials incorporated in the capsule and also reduces the manufacturing steps, as no glue application step is necessary. Also, the sealing layers are still easy to remove with tearing force needed to remove the sealing from the capsule preferably between 5 to 25 N/mm, even more preferred 10 to 20 N/mm. This simplifies the manufacturing process and can therefore reduce cost and increase manufacturing efficiency. Also this affixation method leaves no trace on the capsule once the sealing layer is removed. This is important to prevent any kind of contamination of the smoking device with which the capsule is used.

Also, ultrasonic welding is usable with the preferred materials named in a previous embodi ment above, namely metal, polymer and/or a biodegradable polymer, preferably aluminum, silicon, PET and/or PLA. The sidewall of the capsule preferably consists of plastic. Also affix ation of metals, e.g. aluminum, on plastics is possible, which makes this fixation method appli cable for this embodiment. Also, an ultrasonic welding process requires only very short staying times of the components after the welding. This is highly advantageous in view of high machine speed. Also ultrasonic welding allows for a very high precision regarding the affixation area, which also makes this method very suitable for the sealing of capsules.

Preferably, the capsules are sold to the consumers is bundles of several capsules in terms of convenience. Preferably, several capsules are grouped together in a bio-degradable packag ing. This can be done after the last step of the manufacturing method of the capsule. The bio degradable packaging preferably consists of paper or board. Preferably, the biodegradable packaging is a box, a bag and/or a tray. As the sealing of the capsules is already accomplished by the sealing, the packaging mentioned in this embodiment comprises no sealing properties. This enables the use of bio-degradable materials such as paper or board.

Further advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be described, by way of example only, in the following description with reference to the appended figures. In the figures, like components in different embodiments can exhibit the same reference symbols. The figures show:

Fig. 1 a sectional side view of the capsule 1 with the sealing 14;

Fig. 2 a top view of the capsule 1 with the sealing 14;

Fig. 3 a detailed side view of the capsule 1 top with the sealing 14;

Fig. 4 a detailed sectional view of the capsule 1 with the sealing 14;

Fig. 5 a schematic view of the sealing layer 15 being a composite material;

Fig. 6 a schematic view side view of the capsule 1 with the sealing layer 15 coated with glue 17;

Fig. 7a-d a schematic view of the manufacturing process of the capsule 1 and the sealing 14.

Figure 1 shows a sectional side view of the capsule 1 with the sealing 14. The capsule 1 comprises a side wall 2, a top wall 4 and a bottom wall 6. T ogether the walls 2, 4, 6 confine an inside 8 of the capsule 1. In the inside 8 a flavoring material 10 is arranged. The flavoring material 10 preferably is a granulated tobacco material. The granulated tobacco material may also comprise herbs and/or flavoring agents or the flavoring material 10 comprises herbs and/or flavoring agents without comprising any tobacco. The top and bottom walls 4, 6 are permeable to a vapor flow F. The sidewall 2 is impermeable to any vapor flow F. Without any sealing 14, a vapor flow F is directed perpendicular to the top and bottom wall 4, 6. This means that the vapor flow F is directed through the capsule 1 entering the capsule either through the permeable top or bottom wall 4, 6 and leaving the capsule 1 through the respective other. The flavoring material 10 is arranged between top and bottom wall 4, 6 in the inside 10 of the capsule 1. The vapor flow F is therefore directed through the flavoring material 10. This ena bles the vapor 12 to interact with the flavoring material 10 when passing through the flavoring material 10. During this interaction aroma is transferred from the flavoring material 10 to the vapor 12. The vapor flow F transports the flavored vapor 12 out of the capsule from where it is deliverable to a mouth end of a smoking product (not shown). In order to maintain the moisture and freshness of the flavoring material 10 inside the capsule 1 until the capsule 1 is used by a consumer, the capsule 1 comprises a sealing 14. The sealing 14 prohibits any vapor flow F through the capsule 1. The sealing 14 seals the inside 8 of the capsule 1 with respect to the outside 18 of the capsule 1.

The capsule 1 comprises a rectangular cross section, when sectioned parallel to the sidewall 2. Preferably, the capsule comprises a cylindrical shape. This preferred cylindrical shape is shown in figure 2, which shows a top view of the capsule 1 with the sealing 14. The sealing 14 is preferably at least one sealing layer 15. Preferably, two separate sealing layers 15 are ar ranged on the capsule 1 thereby forming the sealing 14. The sealing layers 15 with their lateral extent are arranged parallel to top and bottom wall 4, 6 on the outer surface 20 of the capsule 1. One of the two sealing layers 15 is arranged parallel to the surface of the top wall 16a wherein the other of the two sealing layers 15 is arranged parallel to the surface of the bottom wall 16b. Preferably, the respective sealing layer 15 completely covers the surface 16a, b of top or bottom wall 4, 6. The sealing layer 15 in its lateral extent is larger than the top or bottom wall 4, 6. Therefore, the sealing layer edge 22 exceeds top and bottom wall 4, 6 respectively. The sealing layer edge 22 is folded towards the sidewall 2. This means, that the sealing layers 15 completely cover a top wall edge 5 and a bottom wall edge 7. The top and bottom wall edges 5, 7 denote the edge between the sidewall 2 and the respective top or bottom wall 4, 6. This arrangement of the sealing layers 15 on the capsule resemble the shape of a slip lid or a cap respectively put over the top and bottom wall 4, 6. This arrangement is further illustrated in figure 3. The sealing layer edge 22 is folded towards the side wall 2 creates an overlap area 24 of the sealing layer 15 with the side wall 2. Figure 4 shows a detailed sectional view of this area of the top wall 4. Although the following description refers to a sealing layer 15 arranged at the top wall 4, someone skilled in the art will directly derive that this description also applies to a sealing layer 15 arranged at the bottom wall 6. The overlap area 24 extends circumferentially around the side wall 2. For a cylindrical capsule 1 , the overlap area 24 comprises a ring shape. In the overlap area 24 the sealing layer 15 is arranged parallel to the side wall 2 and perpen dicular to the top wall 4, whereas the major area 21 of the sealing layer 15, which is outside of the overlap area 24, runs parallel to the top wall 2. The sealing layer 15 therefore comprises a second edge 23 between the major area 21 and the overlap area 24. At the second edge 23 the sealing layer 15 changes its extension direction from being parallel to the top wall 4 to being perpendicular to the top wall. The second edge 23 runs parallel to the top wall edge 5. The second edge 23 may be rounded. The radius of curvature of the rounded edge may de pend on the mechanical properties of the sealing layer 15 material. With the second edge 23, the sealing layer 15 comprises a shape similar to a cap or a slip lid.

The sealing layer 15 is affixed to the side wall 2 in the fixation area 26. The fixation area 26 is located within the overlap area 24. The fixation area extends circumferentially around the side wall 2. For a cylindrical capsule 1 , the fixation area 26 comprises a ring shape. Preferably, the fixation area 26 is smaller in extent parallel to the side wall 2 compared to the overlap area 24. Preferably, the fixation area 26 is distanced from the sealing layer edge 22, which is also re ferred to as the first edge 22 of the sealing layer 15. Preferably, the fixation area 26 is distanced from the second edge 23 of the sealing layer 15. In other words, the at least one sealing layer 15 covering the whole top and bottom wall 4, 6 is preferably affixed to the capsule 1 in a respective ring shaped fixation area 26 extending circumferentially around the capsule’s 1 side wall 2. In this way, the permeable top and bottom walls 4, 6 are completely covered including the top and bottom wall edges 5, 7. Together with the impermeable side wall 2 this reliably prohibits any vapor flow F through the capsule. Preferably, the sealing layer 15 is not affixed to the top and/or bottom wall 4, 6. The first surface 15a of the sealing layer 15 may be in contact with the surface 16a,b of top and/or bottom wall 4, 6. Alternatively, the sealing layer 15 may be distanced from the surface 16a,b of top and/or bottom wall 4, 6. In the latter case, an air gap 13 may be present between sealing layer and top and/or bottom layer 4, 6 respectively. The air gap 13 is preferably filled with normal air. Preferably, the atmosphere in the air gap 13 is the same as the atmosphere in the inside 8 of the capsule 1. Alternatively, the air gap 13 could, preferably together with the inside 8 of the capsule 1 , be filled with an inert gas in order to prevent oxidation and/or degradation of the flavoring material 10.

For better visibility the sealing layer 15 is depicted with a larger distance to the side, top and bottom walls 2, 4, 6 whereas the sealing layer 15 is shown in direct contact with the side wall 2 in the fixation area 26. This results in a visible curvature of the sealing layer 15 in the fixation area 26. While the capsule 1 with the sealing 14 might look like this in reality, the sealing layer 15 may also be in contact with the side, top and/or bottom wall 2, 4, 6 even outside of the fixation area 26 leading to a sealing layer 15 without any curvature in the fixation area 26. The important difference is that the sealing layer 15 is only affixed to the capsule 1 in the fixation area 26 whereas the sealing layer 15 outside of the fixation area 26 is not affixed to the capsule 1, wherein the sealing layer 15 may be in contact with the capsule 1 in this area or not. Aside from figure 4 this also applies to the figures 1 , 2 and 6.

Figure 5 shows a schematic view of the sealing layer 15 being a composite material. The composite material comprises at least two material layers 27, 28. The material layers 27, 28 are planarly attached to each other. This means, that one material layer 27 is with one of its lateral surfaces attached to a lateral surface of the other material layer 28. The at least two material layers 27, 28 together form the sealing layer 15.

Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the capsule 1 with the sealing 14, wherein the sealing 15 is coated with glue 17. The first surface 15a of the sealing layer 15, which is directed towards the capsule 1, is coated with glue 17. The glue 17 can be activated by heat. Activated means that the glue 17 comprises gluing properties, i.e. sticks. In the un-activated state the glue 17 does not stick and the sealing layer 15 can be handled freely. The whole first surface 15a of the sealing layer 15 can be coated with the glue 17. The glue 17 is therefore also arranged at parts of the first surface 15a located in the major area 21 of the sealing layer 15. These parts are arranged towards the top or bottom wall 4, 6. Preferably, the sealing layer 15 is affixed to the capsule 1 only in the fixation area 26. Preferably, the sealing layer 15 is not affixed to the top and/or bottom wall 4, 6. Therefore, the glue 17 located outside of the fixation area 26 is pref erably not activated at any stage.

Figure 7 depicts the method for manufacturing a capsule 1 with a sealing 14 according to at least one embodiment of this invention. Figure 7a shows the positioning of the sealing on the capsule 1. Two sealing layers 15 are positioned on the top wall 4 and the bottom wall 6 of the capsule 1. The sealing layers 15 are arranged parallel to top and bottom wall 4, 6. The lateral extent 9 of the capsule 1, which is measured along the longest extension of the capsule 1 parallel to the top and bottom wall 4, 6, is smaller than the lateral extent 11 of the sealing layer 15, measured along the same direction. Therefore the sealing layer edge 22 protrudes beyond the edge 5, 7 of top and bottom wall 4, 6 with a protruding part 19.

Figure 7b depicts the following step. The protruding part 19 of the respective sealing layer 15 is circumferentially folded towards the side wall 2 of the capsule 1 in the folding direction D. The folding direction D describes a rotatory movement of the protruding part 19 from an ar rangement parallel to the top and bottom wall 4, 6 to an arrangement parallel to the side wall 2, preferably being perpendicular to the top and bottom walls 4, 6. This rotatory movement preferably comprises the shape of a quarter-turn directed downwards and inwards for the top wall 4 and upwards and inwards for the bottom wall 6. Inwards means in this context directed towards the inside 8 of the capsule 1. By circumferentially folding the protrusion area 19 to wards the side wall 2, the circumferential overlap area 24 between side wall 2 and sealing layer 15 is created. The first surface 15a of the sealing layer 15 in the protrusion area 19 is brought into contact with the side wall 2 creating the overlap area 24. This overlap area 24 ensures a complete coverage of the top and bottom wall 4, 6 without any uncovered areas at the top or bottom wall edges 5, 7 due to slightly misplaced sealing layers 15. In this state, the first edge 22 of the sealing layer 15 is arranged at the side wall 2. Depending on the flexibility of the sealing layer 15 material, the sealing layer 15 may crease when folded towards the side wall 2, whereas creasing might be increased for materials with low flexibility.

Subsequently, the sealing layer 15 is circumferentially affixed to the side wall 2. This is depicted separately in figure 7c. However, this step may be conducted simultaneously with the folding. For example could the same tool, which folds the protrusion area 19 towards the side wall 2 thereby creating the overlap area 24, affix the sealing layer 15 to the side wall 2. The sealing layer 15 is circumferentially affixed to the side wall 2 in the fixation area 26. The fixation area 26 is located in the overlap area 24. The affixation is realized by application of energy E di rected from the second surface 15b of the sealing layer 15 towards the side wall 2 in the fixation area 26. The energy E is transmitted through the sealing layer 15 material towards the first surface 15a being in contact with the side wall 2. If the first surface 15a of the sealing layer 15 is coated with glue 17, the first surface 15a of the sealing layer 15 is in indirect contact with the side wall by means of the glue 17. The transmission of energy E to the first surface 15a of the sealing layer 15 affixes the sealing layer 15 to the side wall 2. The energy E may be heat energy, if for example glue 17 activatable by heat is used as a fixation means. The energy E may also be vibrational energy, if for example ultrasonic welding is used to affix the sealing layer 15 to the side wall 2. Preferably, the energy E is applied to the sealing layer in the fixation area 26 circumferentially.

Figure 7d shows the final product of the process. The sealing layer 15 is now affixed to the side wall 2 of the capsule 1 in the fixation area 26. The capsule 1 is now sealed. For better visibility the sealing layer 15 is depicted with a larger distance to the side, top and bottom walls 2, 4, 6 whereas the sealing layer 15 is shown in direct contact with the side wall 2 in the fixation area 26. This results in a visible curvature of the sealing layer 15 in the fixation area 26. While the capsule 1 with the sealing 14 might look like this in reality, the sealing layer 15 may also be in contact with the side, top and/or bottom wall 2, 4, 6 even outside of the fixation area 26 leading to a sealing layer 15 without any curvature in the fixation area 26. The important dif ference is that the sealing layer 15 is only affixed to the capsule 1 in the fixation area 26 whereas the sealing layer 15 outside of the fixation area 26 is not affixed to the capsule 1, wherein the sealing layer 15 may be in contact with the capsule 1 in this area or not.

The applicant reserves his right to claim all features disclosed in the application document as being an essential feature of the invention, as long as they are new, individually or in combi nation, in view of the prior art. Furthermore, it is noted that in the figures features are described, which can be advantageous individually. Someone skilled in the art will directly recognize that a specific feature being disclosed in a figure can be advantageous also without the adoption of further features from this figure. Furthermore, someone skilled in the art will recognize that advantages can evolve from a combination of diverse features being disclosed in one or vari ous figures.

List of reference symbols

1 capsule

2 sidewall

4 top wall

5 top wall edge

6 bottom wall

7 bottom wall edge

8 inside

9 lateral extent of capsule

10 flavoring material

11 lateral extent of sealing layer

12 vapor

13 air gap

14 sealing

15 sealing layer

15a first surface

15b second surface

16a surface of top wall

16b surface of bottom wall

17 glue

18 outside

19 protruding part

20 outer surface

21 major area

22 sealing layer edge, first edge

23 second edge

24 overlap area

26 fixation area

D folding direction

E energy

F vapor flow

Claims

1. Capsule (1) usable in a smoking product, wherein the capsule (1) comprises at least one sidewall (2), a top wall (4) and a bottom wall (6), which together confine an inside (8) of the capsule (1) in which a flavoring material (10) is arranged, wherein the inside (8) of the capsule (1) and the top and bottom walls (4, 6) are permeable to a vapor flow (F) di rected into and out of the capsule (1) and wherein the sidewall (2) is impermeable to the vapor flow (F), wherein the vapor (12) is flavorable by interaction with the flavoring mate rial (8), characterized by a sealing (14) removably arranged at the capsule (1), wherein the sealing (14) seals the inside (8) of the capsule (1) with respect to the outside (18) of the capsule (1).

2. Capsule (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the sealing (14) comprises at least one sealing layer (15) removably arranged on the outside (18) of the capsule (1).

3. Capsule (1) according to claim 2 characterized in that two flexible sealing layers (15) are removably arranged parallel to the respective sur faces (16a, b) of top and bottom wall (4, 6) on the outside (18) of the capsule (1) and af fixed to an outer surface (20) of the capsule (1), wherein the sealing layers (15) seal the inside (8) of the capsule (1) with respect to the outside (18) of the capsule (1).

4. Capsule (1) according to claim 2 or 3 characterized in that it comprises a cylindrical shape and a flexible sealing layer edge (22) protrudes parallel to the side wall (2), creating a respective overlap area (24) of the sealing layer (15) with the side wall (2), and is circumferentially affixed thereto.

5. Capsule (1) according to any of the claims 2 - 4 characterized in that the respective sealing layers (15) are not affixed to the top and bottom wall (4, 6).

6. Capsule (1) according to any of the claims 2 - 5 characterized in that a first surface (15a) of the sealing layer (15), which is directed towards the inside (8) of the capsule (1), is coated with glue (17) which can be activated by heat.

7. Capsule (1) according to any preceding claim characterized in that the sealing (14) material comprises a metal, a polymer and/or a biodegradable polymer, preferably aluminum, silicon, PET and/or PLA.

8. Capsule (1) according to any preceding claim characterized in that the sealing (14) material is a composite material comprising at least two different mate rial layers affixed planarly to each other.

9. Capsule (1) according to any preceding claim characterized in that the sealing (14) comprises a thickness of at least 10 pm, preferably 15 pm, and up to 100 pm, preferably 50 pm, even more preferred 40 pm.

10. Capsule (1) according to any preceding claim characterized in that the sealing (14) material is impermeable to water and vapor and that it is air-tight.

11. Method for sealing a capsule (1) usable in a smoking product, wherein the capsule (1) comprises at least one sidewall (2), a top wall (4) and a bottom wall (6), which together confine an inside (8) of the capsule (1) in which a flavoring material (10) is arranged, wherein the inside (8) of the capsule (1) and the top and bottom walls (4, 6) are permea ble to a vapor flow (F) directed into and out of the capsule (1) and wherein the sidewall (2) is impermeable to the vapor flow (F), wherein the vapor (12) is flavorable by interac tion with the flavoring material (10), comprising the steps:

Placing at least one sealing (14) at the capsule (1);

Removably affixing the sealing (14) to the capsule (1), wherein the inside (8) of the capsule (1) is sealed with respect to the outside (18) of the capsule (1).

12. Method according to claim 11 characterized in that the sealing (14) comprises two sealing layers (15) the edges (22) which are arranged parallel to the respective surfaces (16a, b) of top and bottom wall (4, 6) on the outside (18) of the capsule (1) and the sealing layers (15) are folded towards the side wall (2), creating a respective overlap area (24) of the sealing layer (15) with the side wall (2).

13. Method according to claim 11 or 12 characterized in that the sealing layers (15) are affixed only to the sidewall (2) of the capsule (1) and the affix ation is carried out circumferentially in the overlap area (24).

14. Method according to any of the claims 11 to 13 characterized in that a first surface (15a) of the sealing layers (15), which is directed towards the inside (8) of the capsule (1), is coated with glue (17) and that the sealing layers (15) are affixed to the capsule (1) by heat activation of the glue (17).

15. Method according to any of the claims 11 to 13 characterized in that the sealing layers (15) are affixed to the capsule (1) by ultrasonic welding.