WO2024111028A1 - Reinforcement material and package for tobacco product - Google Patents

Abstract

A reinforcement material included in a package for a tobacco product, said reinforcement material comprising at least a first layer containing a flavoring component, a barrier layer having barrier properties against the flavoring component, and a second layer, wherein the barrier layer is disposed so as to be positioned between the first layer and the second layer.

Description

Strengthening materials and packaging for tobacco products

The present invention relates to a reinforcing material and a package for tobacco products.

Amid a global demand for sustainable packaging materials, the packaging materials used to enclose tobacco products (tobacco packaging materials) currently use plastic film, and it is expected that there will be a demand to eliminate plastic film in the future.
Current tobacco packaging materials are sealed with plastic film, which prevents moisture from entering from the outside and flavoring ingredients from leaking out. Therefore, in order to eliminate the plastic film, it is necessary to seal or barrier tobacco products with another material. Therefore, currently, packages that can be sealed with an inner liner are attracting attention.

Patent document 1 discloses an inner package (inner liner) having a first layer and a second layer, the first layer having a flap, the flap being attached so as to be able to open and close the inner package, and a sealed space being formed when the flap is closed.
As described above, the technology of forming a space for sealing tobacco products using an inner liner is known, but in order to form the space, in the manufacturing process of tobacco packaging materials, after the tobacco product is packed in the material of the inner liner, a heat or pressure treatment is generally performed from the outside. When this heat or pressure treatment is performed, there is a problem that the heat or pressure also affects the tobacco product packed therein, deteriorating the quality of the tobacco product. In addition, since a thin and highly flexible material is generally used for the inner liner, there is a problem that the rigidity is low and it is difficult to maintain the shape.
In order to solve these problems, a technique is known in which a reinforcing material with high rigidity is provided on the inside of the inner liner. Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose tobacco packaging materials including reinforcing materials including a front panel and a side panel.

JP 2018-531189 A JP 2018-138473 A JP 2016-520488 A

For general inner liners, a technology is known in which a flavoring component is contained on the inside surface in order to flavor the tobacco product contained therein. However, in a package that can be sealed with an inner liner, it is necessary to coat the inside surface of the inner liner with a resin or varnish having heat sealability, and it is not possible to contain a flavoring component.
Therefore, the inventors tried to incorporate a scenting component into the reinforcing material instead of the inner liner, but found that the scenting component reduced the stiffness of the reinforcing material, making it impossible to obtain the properties required of the reinforcing material.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a reinforcing material that allows tobacco products to be flavored while maintaining high rigidity, and a package for tobacco products that includes the reinforcing material.

After extensive research, the inventors discovered that the above problems could be solved by providing a composition that includes at least a first layer containing a scenting component, a barrier layer that provides a barrier against the scenting component, and a second layer that has a specific basis weight, and thus arrived at the present invention.

[1] A reinforcing material included in a tobacco product package,
The present invention provides a fragrance composition comprising at least a first layer containing a fragrance component, a barrier layer having a barrier property against the fragrance component, and a second layer,
The barrier layer is disposed between the first layer and the second layer.
Reinforcement material.
[2] The reinforcing material according to [1], wherein the barrier layer satisfies the following (Condition 1).
(Condition 1) The following procedures (1) to (4) are carried out five times using the barrier layer, and penetration of ethanol is not visually observed in any of the five test pieces obtained.
(1) A test piece is prepared by providing the barrier layer on a substrate.
(2) Place the test piece on a flat surface with the barrier layer side facing up.
(3) Three drops of ethanol (purity 99.5% or higher) are dropped onto the barrier layer from a height of 25 mm using a dropper.
(4) After 10 minutes, the ethanol adhering to the barrier layer is wiped off with tissue paper.
[3] The reinforcing material according to [1] or [2], which satisfies the following (Condition 2).
(Condition 2) A fragrance is applied to the first layer so that the basis weight is 10 gsm, and after keeping for 14 days, penetration of the fragrance into the second layer is not visually observed.
[4] The reinforcing material according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the first layer is a paper layer.
[5] The reinforcing material according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the fragrance component includes menthol.
[6] The reinforcing material according to any one of [1] to [5], further comprising a coating layer as an outermost layer on the side on which the second paper layer is located as viewed from the barrier layer.
[7] The reinforcing material according to any one of [1] to [6], comprising a first panel and a side panel provided on a side of the first panel.
[8] A package for tobacco products having a packaging material for tobacco products,
a tobacco product accommodated in an internal accommodation portion by the packaging material for tobacco products; and a reinforcing material between an inner wall of the packaging material for tobacco products and the tobacco product;
The reinforcing material is the reinforcing material according to any one of [1] to [7], and the first layer is arranged to face the side on which the tobacco product is located.
Packaging for tobacco products.
[9] The package for tobacco products according to [8], wherein the packaging material for tobacco products is sealed.
[10] Further comprising an outer box for accommodating the tobacco product packaging material,
the outer box comprises a lid portion and a support portion that supports the lid portion,
The tobacco product packaging material comprises a lid portion and a support portion that supports the lid portion,
a part of a lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is bonded to a part of a lid portion of the outer box, and the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is opened and closed by opening and closing the lid portion of the outer box;
A package for tobacco products according to [8] or [9].
[11] The tobacco product packaging material is configured so that, when the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is in a closed state, the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material and the support portion of the tobacco product packaging material are in contact with each other,
an adhesive is applied to an area of the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material that comes into contact with the support portion of the tobacco product packaging material, and to at least a part of an area of the support portion of the tobacco product packaging material that comes into contact with the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material;
The package for tobacco products according to any one of [8] to [10].

The present invention provides a reinforcing material that allows tobacco products to be flavored while maintaining high rigidity, and a package for tobacco products that includes the reinforcing material.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a layer structure of a reinforcing material according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a package including a stiffener according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a box including the package. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of visual observation results of ethanol penetration in a barrier layer in a barrier property test (a photograph as a substitute for a drawing). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a layer structure of a reinforcing material according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a layer structure of a reinforcing material according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention, but these descriptions are merely examples (representative examples) of the embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as they do not depart from the gist of the present invention.
In this specification, a numerical range expressed using "to" means a range including the numerical values before and after "to" as the lower and upper limits, and "A to B" means A or more and B or less.
In addition, although a number of embodiments are described in this specification, various conditions in each embodiment can be mutually applied and can be combined to the extent that they are applicable.
In addition, for each numerical range in this specification, a range indicating an upper limit such as "C or less" and a range indicating a lower limit such as "D or more" can be combined in any manner.
Each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of components described in the embodiments are merely examples.

<Structure of reinforcing material>
A reinforcing material according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as "reinforcing material") is a reinforcing material included in a package for tobacco products,
The present invention provides a fragrance composition comprising at least a first layer containing a fragrance component, a barrier layer having a barrier property against the fragrance component, and a second layer,
The barrier layer is disposed between the first layer and the second layer.
It is a reinforcing material.
An example of a reinforcing material according to an embodiment is shown in Fig. 1. Hereinafter, the reinforcing material will be described with reference to Fig. 1. In this specification, each drawing showing the layer structure of the reinforcing material shows a schematic cross section of the layer structure of the reinforcing material.

The reinforcing material 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a three-layer structure including a first layer 11 containing a scenting component, a barrier layer 12 having barrier properties against the scenting component, and a second layer 13, with the barrier layer 12 positioned between the first layer 11 and the second layer 13.

When conventional reinforcing materials are used and fragrance ingredients are added to their inner surface, the fragrance ingredients penetrate into the interior and reach the layer made of cardboard or the like that ensures stiffness, causing the layer made of cardboard or the like to become soft, making it impossible to obtain the desired stiffness.
On the other hand, the reinforcing material 10 according to this embodiment has a barrier layer 12 having barrier properties against the scenting component between the first layer 11 containing the scenting component and the second layer 13 ensuring the stiffness, and therefore the scenting component is prevented from reaching the second layer 13 from the first layer 11. As a result, the stiffness of the second layer 13 is not reduced, and the desired stiffness can be obtained.
Furthermore, from the viewpoint of manufacturing efficiency, the manufacturing method of the reinforcing material 10 can adopt a method in which a large-sized laminate is obtained by laminating multiple layers, a scenting component is contained on one side, and finally, the laminate is cut to a desired size. When a scenting component is contained on the inner side of a conventional reinforcing material, if this manufacturing method is adopted, a problem occurs in which the scenting component penetrates into the layer that ensures stiffness and becomes soft, making it difficult to cut. On the other hand, in the case of the reinforcing material according to this embodiment, the scenting component is prevented from penetrating into the layer that ensures stiffness, so the above-mentioned problem of softening does not occur and the reinforcing material can be easily cut. Therefore, the reinforcing material according to this embodiment is advantageous from the viewpoint of manufacturing method.

The shape of the reinforcing material is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape composed of a sheet-shaped laminate, but from the viewpoint of excellent shape retention of the tobacco product, it is preferable that the shape includes a first panel and a side panel provided on the side of the first panel, as shown in FIG. 2, and in particular, it is preferable that the first panel and the side panel are integrated, that is, that the reinforcing material is composed of a single laminate (a part of the single laminate is folded to form the first panel and the side panel). In addition, when pressure is applied when the reinforcing material and the tobacco product are packaged by a packaging machine, it is preferable that the reinforcing material is present in the part to be pressed in order to prevent the tobacco product from being crushed by the pressure, so an embodiment including at least the first panel and two side panels provided on both ends of the reinforcing material is preferable. The gray part in FIG. 2 is the reinforcing material. Specifically, in FIG. 2, a package 30 formed of a packaging material for tobacco products is contained in a box 40, and a reinforcing material 10 and a tobacco product 20 are contained in the package 30. Furthermore, the package 30 has a lid portion, and an adhesive portion 31 is provided on a part of the lid portion. The first panel and the side panel are each preferably substantially rectangular in shape. The configuration and shape of the package for tobacco products are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG.
The area of the reinforcing material (the sheet area of the sheet-shaped laminate constituting the reinforcing material) can be appropriately set according to the intended use. For example, when used together with a package for tobacco products, when the total area of the inner area of the front part and the inner areas of both side parts of the package is taken as 100%, the area is preferably 50% or more and 100% or less, and more preferably 70% or more and 98% or less. By setting the area at or above the lower limit of this range, the strength can be increased and the amount of flavoring components can be increased. On the other hand, by setting the area at or below the upper limit of this range, the material cost can be reduced. This is the area of the entire reinforcing material, and for example, when the shape includes a first panel and a side panel provided on the side of the first panel, it is the sum of the area of the first panel and the area of the side panel.

The basis weight of the reinforcing material 10 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 160 gsm or more and 480 gsm or less, more preferably 180 gsm or more and 400 gsm or less, and even more preferably 200 gsm or more and 320 gsm or less. Unless otherwise specified, the basis weight in this specification is calculated based on the dry weight of the target substance, and in particular, the basis weight of a substance formed through a process such as application of a liquid is calculated based on the dry weight after solidification by a process such as solvent removal, and the basis weight of a substance formed through a process such as melting is calculated based on the dry weight after solidification by a process such as cooling and solidification.
By setting the basis weight to be equal to or greater than the above lower limit, sufficient stiffness can be obtained, while by setting the basis weight to be equal to or less than the above upper limit, deformation such as folding or bending can be easily achieved.
In this field, basis weight is often used as a parameter that can be substituted for thickness.

[First Layer]
The form of the first layer 11 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of containing the fragrance component, it is preferably a fibrous cellulose material or a porous body, and from the viewpoints of the permeability of the fragrance component, ease of availability, and raw material costs, it is preferably a fibrous cellulose material.
When the first layer 11 is a fibrous cellulose material, the form is not particularly limited, and for example, paper can be used. As the paper, for example, western paper can be used, and specifically, printing paper, wrapping paper, tissue paper, etc. can be used. In addition, from the viewpoint of easy bending, the viewpoint of simplifying the manufacturing process, and the viewpoint of providing a more environmentally friendly package since the first layer 11 can be more easily decomposed, the content of the fibrous cellulose material in the first layer 11 may be 100% by weight, but is usually 30% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less, preferably 50% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less, and more preferably 70% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less.

The basis weight of the first layer 11 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of machine suitability, it is preferably 20 gsm or more and less than 100 gsm, more preferably 25 gsm or more and less than 70 gsm, and even more preferably 30 gsm or more and less than 40 gsm. Generally, in the paper technical field, basis weight is used as a parameter instead of thickness.

The type of flavoring component contained in the first layer 11 is not particularly limited, and any known flavoring component can be used. Examples of such flavoring components include menthol, tobacco leaf extract, natural plant flavors (e.g., cinnamon, sage, herbs, chamomile, kudzu, sweet tea, cloves, lavender, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, lemon, orange, cassia bark, caraway, jasmine, ginger, coriander, vanilla extract, spearmint, peppermint, cassia, coffee, celery, cascarilla, sandalwood, cocoa, ylang-ylang, fennel, anise, licorice, St. John's bread, plum extract, peach extract, etc.), and sugars (e.g., , glucose, fructose, isomerized sugar, caramel, honey, molasses, etc.), cocoa (powder, extract, etc.), esters (e.g., isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, etc.), ketones (e.g., menthone, ionone, damascenone, ethyl maltol, etc.), alcohols (e.g., geraniol, linalool, anethole, eugenol, etc.), aldehydes (e.g., vanillin, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, etc.), lactones (e.g., γ-undecalactone, γ-nonalactone, etc.), animal fragrances (e.g., musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, etc.), or hydrocarbons (e.g., limonene, pinene, etc.). These substances may be used alone or in any combination of two or more kinds and in any ratio.
Among these, menthol is preferable. In the case where the flavoring material contains a crystalline substance such as menthol, the above-mentioned problem of deterioration of appearance due to crystallization is likely to occur, so that the effect obtained by adopting the configuration of this embodiment is great.
The content of the flavoring ingredient in the first layer 11 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of imparting a sufficient amount of the flavoring ingredient to the tobacco product, it is usually 2 gsm or more and 20 gsm or less.

[Barrier layer]
The barrier layer 12 is not particularly limited as long as it has a barrier property against the above-mentioned fragrance components.
The material (main constituent material) of the barrier layer 12 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a resin, and specific examples thereof include natural polysaccharides such as starch, pectin, gum arabic, or guar gum, cellulose derivatives, fully saponified polyvinyl alcohol, partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene copolymerized polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, alkyd resins, polyamide resins, polyester resins, various copolymers such as styrene-butadiene, or water dispersion emulsions of polyolefins, and examples of resins that are particularly preferably used in the extrusion method include low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, or polypropylene. These may be used alone, or two or more types may be mixed in any ratio and combination and used.
The barrier layer 12 may be composed of two or more layers using different types of materials. In addition, when a glue layer, which will be described later, is provided adjacent to the barrier layer 12 and the glue layer has barrier properties, the glue layer is treated as a barrier layer.

The content of the above-mentioned main constituent materials in the barrier layer 12 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of sufficiently suppressing the penetration of the fragrance components, it may be 100% by weight, and is usually 50% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less, preferably 60% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less, more preferably 70% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less, and even more preferably 80% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less.

The method of producing the barrier layer 12 is not particularly limited, and it can be produced, for example, by a coating method or an extrusion method. When producing the barrier layer 12 by these methods, only the barrier layer 12 may be produced and then laminated with other layers (for example, the first layer 11 and/or the second layer 13), or it may be laminated with other layers at the same time as producing the barrier layer 12. The mode of the coating method or extrusion method is not particularly limited, and known methods can be adopted as appropriate.

The thickness of the barrier layer 12 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of providing a sufficient barrier against the fragrance components, it is usually 0.2 μm or more and 60 μm or less, preferably 0.4 μm or more and 45 μm or less, and more preferably 0.7 μm or more and 20 μm or less.
By setting the thickness of the barrier layer 12 to the above lower limit or more, it is possible to provide a sufficient barrier against the fragrance components. On the other hand, by setting the thickness to the above upper limit or less, it becomes easy to deform by folding or bending.

In particular, when the barrier layer 12 is prepared by a coating method, the thickness of the barrier layer 12 is usually 0.2 μm or more and 25 μm or less, preferably 0.4 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and more preferably 0.7 μm or more and 12 μm or less.
By making the thickness of the barrier layer 12 equal to or greater than the lower limit of the above range, it is possible to provide a sufficient barrier against the flavoring components, and it is also easy to completely cover the layer with a coating solution when the layer is prepared by coating. In addition, by making the thickness equal to or less than the upper limit of the above range, it is possible to reduce the drying load during coating.

When the barrier layer 12 is produced by an extrusion method, the thickness of the barrier layer 12 is usually 15 μm or more and 60 μm or less, preferably 15 μm or more and 45 μm or less, and more preferably 15 μm or more and 20 μm or less.
By setting the thickness of the barrier layer 12 to be equal to or greater than the lower limit of the above range, it is possible to provide a sufficient barrier against the fragrance components, and it is also easy to completely cover the layer with a coating liquid when the layer is produced by coating. By setting the thickness to be equal to or less than the upper limit of the above range, it is possible to improve the ease of production.

The basis weight of the barrier layer 12 is not particularly limited, but is usually 0.3 gsm or more and 66 gsm or less, preferably 0.6 gsm or more and 50 gsm or less, and more preferably 0.8 gsm or more and 22 gsm or less.
By setting the basis weight of the barrier layer 12 to be equal to or greater than the lower limit of the above range, it is possible to provide a sufficient barrier against the fragrance components. By setting the thickness to be equal to or less than the upper limit of the above range, it is possible to improve ease of manufacture.

In particular, when the barrier layer 12 is prepared by a coating method, the basis weight of the barrier layer 12 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.3 gsm or more and 20 gsm or less, more preferably 0.6 gsm or more and 15 gsm or less, and even more preferably 0.8 gsm or more and 10 gsm or less.
By setting the basis weight of the barrier layer 12 to be equal to or greater than the lower limit of the above range, it is possible to provide a sufficient barrier against the scenting components, and it is also easy to completely cover the layer with a coating solution when the layer is produced by coating. Furthermore, by setting the basis weight to be equal to or less than the upper limit of the above range, it is possible to reduce the drying load during coating.

When the barrier layer 12 is produced by an extrusion method, the basis weight of the barrier layer 202 is usually 13 gsm or more and 66 gsm or less, preferably 13 gsm or more and 50 gsm or less, and preferably 13 gsm or more and 22 gsm or less. By setting the basis weight of the barrier layer 12 to the lower limit of the above range or more, it is possible to sufficiently barrier the scenting component, and also to easily cover it completely with the coating liquid when producing it by coating. Furthermore, by setting the basis weight to the upper limit of the above range or less, it is possible to improve the ease of production.

When the barrier layer 12 is produced by coating, the coating method is not particularly limited, and coating can be performed using a known coating device and coating system. For example, examples of coating devices include a blade coater, a bar coater, a roll coater, an air knife coater, a reverse roll coater, a curtain coater, a spray coater, a size press coater, and a gate roll coater. Examples of coating systems include water-based coating using a solvent such as water, and solvent-based coating using a solvent such as an organic solvent. Examples of methods for drying the barrier layer 12 include ordinary methods such as a steam heater, a gas heater, an infrared heater, an electric heater, a hot air heater, a microwave, or a cylinder dryer.

The barrier layer 12 may contain components other than the above-mentioned main constituent materials, such as fillers or pigments.

The manufacturing conditions for producing the barrier layer 12 by the extrusion method are not particularly limited, but the barrier layer 12 can be produced by coating a molten material, such as a resin, which is melted at a temperature appropriate for the material, on the surface of the first layer 11 or the second layer 13, and then cooling the molten material. Alternatively, instead of directly coating the surface of the first layer 11 or the second layer 13 with the molten material, the barrier layer 12 may be produced by coating another member and then peeling the member off, and then bonding the first layer 11 or the second layer 13 to the barrier layer 12.
The extrusion temperature can be appropriately set depending on the raw materials, but is usually 200°C or higher and 400°C or lower.

The barrier properties of the barrier layer 12 can be evaluated by the following method. It is preferable that the barrier layer 12 satisfies the following (Condition 1) or (Condition 2), and it is more preferable that the barrier layer 12 satisfies both of the following conditions.
(Condition 1) The following procedures (1) to (4) are carried out five times using a barrier layer, and penetration of ethanol is not visually observed in any of the five test pieces obtained.
(1) A test piece is prepared by providing the barrier layer on a substrate.
(2) Place the test piece on a flat surface with the barrier layer side facing up. At this time, it is preferable not to touch the surface of the barrier layer.
(3) Using a dropper, drop three drops of ethanol (purity 99.5% or higher) onto the barrier layer from a height of 25 mm. At this time, it is preferable to perform this so that the dropper does not come into contact with the barrier layer.
(4) After 10 minutes, the ethanol adhering to the barrier layer is wiped off with tissue paper. Note that if all of the ethanol has evaporated, there is no need to wipe it off.
The type of the substrate is not particularly limited as long as it can form a barrier layer, and examples thereof include paper (when paper is used in the first layer 11 or the second layer 13, a paper other than these may be used). As this paper, for example, the above-mentioned Western paper such as printing paper, wrapping paper, or tissue paper may be used. In addition, the substrate may contain a fragrance component, and for example, the first layer 11 or the second layer 13 may be used.
The test specimen may be prepared by removing the barrier layer 12 from the reinforcing material 10 and providing the reinforcing material 10 on a substrate, or may be prepared by removing the first layer 11 or the second layer 13 from the reinforcing material 10, or may be prepared by providing a layer made of the same material as the barrier layer 12 and having the same thickness on the substrate. The size of the test specimen is not particularly limited as long as the above-mentioned operation can be carried out, and can be appropriately determined according to the size of the reinforcing material 10, and may be, for example, 20 mm x 20 mm, 30 mm x 30 mm, 40 mm x 40 mm, or 50 mm x 50 mm.
The above evaluation is carried out in an environment with a temperature of 23° C.±1° C. and a humidity of 50%±3%.
An example of the results of visual observation of ethanol penetration in the above test is shown in Figure 3. This evaluation result of the observation of penetration can be similarly applied to the evaluation results of the observation of penetration in the following (Condition 2) and (Condition 2'). Figure 3 shows how the penetration is observed visually when penetration occurs in the paper layer (or paper) (assuming that paper is used as the substrate in (Condition 1) and (Condition 2')), regardless of whether the test is (Condition 1), (Condition 2), or (Condition 2').

(Condition 2) Using a reinforcing material 10, a fragrance is applied to the first layer 11 so that the basis weight is 10 gsm, and after being kept for 14 days, no penetration of the fragrance into the second layer 13 is visually observed.
This test (Condition 2) can also be performed as an alternative test to the test (Condition 2') described below.
(Condition 2') The following operations (1) to (3) are carried out using a barrier layer, and no stains are visually observed on the second substrate of the obtained test piece.
(1) A test piece is prepared by laminating (adhering) a first substrate to one side of a barrier layer and laminating (adhering) a second substrate to the other side of the barrier layer. The barrier layer may be a barrier layer removed from a reinforcing material.
(2) A fragrance is applied to the first substrate so that the basis weight is 10 gsm.
(3) The fragrance is applied and then left for 14 days.
Since there is no difference in the barrier layer to be evaluated in the above-mentioned (Condition 2) test and (Condition 2') test, the same evaluation results are usually obtained.
The types of the first and second substrates and the size of the test piece can be independently applied to the above condition (Condition 1) in the same manner.

The tests under (Condition 2) and (Condition 2') above are performed by positioning the test subject so that the paper layer (or paper) to which the fragrance is applied faces vertically upwards.

The barrier property evaluation tests related to (Condition 1) and (Condition 2') above may be performed by preparing a sheet of the same material and shape instead of the barrier layer 12 removed from the reinforcing material 10. For example, the step (1) in (Condition 1) above, "Remove only the barrier layer 12 from the reinforcing material 10, adhere this to paper different from the paper constituting the first layer 11 and the second layer 13, and cut out a test piece," may be rephrased as "Prepare a sheet (including a film shape) of the same material and shape as the barrier layer 12 in the reinforcing material 10, adhere this to paper different from the paper constituting the first layer 11 and the second layer 13, and cut out a test piece," and the "barrier layer" in steps (2) to (4) in (Condition 1) above may be rephrased as "sheet."

[Second paper layer]
The form of the second layer 13 is not particularly limited, and any known paper can be used. For example, a fibrous cellulose material can be used. From the viewpoints of availability and raw material costs, a fibrous cellulose material is preferable.
When the first layer 11 is a fibrous cellulose material, the form is not particularly limited, and for example, paper can be used. As the paper, western paper can be used, and specifically, printing paper, wrapping paper, tissue paper, etc. can be used. In addition, from the viewpoint of easy bending, the viewpoint of simplifying the manufacturing process, and the viewpoint of providing a more environmentally friendly package since the first layer 11 can be more easily decomposed, the content of the fibrous cellulose material in the second layer 13 may be 100% by weight, but is usually 30% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less, preferably 50% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less, and more preferably 70% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less.

From the viewpoint of ensuring sufficient stiffness, the basis weight of the second layer 13 is preferably 140 gsm or more and 300 gsm or less, more preferably 160 gsm or more and 270 gsm or less, and even more preferably 180 gsm or more and 240 gsm or less.
By setting the basis weight of the second layer 13 to be equal to or greater than the lower limit of the above range, sufficient rigidity can be ensured, while by setting the basis weight to be equal to or less than the upper limit of the above range, bending becomes easy and costs can be reduced.

The Taber stiffness of the second layer 13 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the second layer 13 satisfies at least one condition selected from the group consisting of the following conditions (A) and (B).
Condition (A): Preferably 3 mN·m or more and 20 mN·m or less, more preferably 4 mN·m or more and 15 mN·m or less, and even more preferably 5 mN·m or more and 10 mN·m or less.
Condition (B): preferably 1 mN·m or more and 10 mN·m or less, more preferably 2 mN·m or more and 15 mN·m or less, and even more preferably 5 mN·m or more and 10 mN·m or less.
By setting the Taber stiffness of the second layer 13 to be equal to or higher than the lower limit of the above range, sufficient stiffness can be ensured. By setting the Taber stiffness to be equal to or lower than the upper limit of the above range, bending becomes easy and processability can be improved.
When the second layer is a layer having a machine direction (MD, the flow direction during production) and a traverse direction (TD, the direction transverse to the flow direction during production), it is preferable that the Taber stiffness in the MD of the second layer satisfies the above condition (A), and it is preferable that the Taber stiffness in the TD of the second layer satisfies the above condition (B).
The Taber stiffness can be evaluated based on JIS P 8125-2 or ISO 2493-2.

In order to ensure rigidity, the second layer 13 is preferably substantially free of the flavor components contained in the first layer 11, and more preferably is substantially free of flavor components, not limited to the flavor components contained in the first layer 11. Generally, flavor components are not contained in the second layer 13 unless they are intentionally added, so "substantially free" can be expressed as "no intentional addition of flavor components" or "the content of flavor components is at the detection limit when the content is measured using an analytical device."

[Other layers]
The reinforcing material 10 may further include layers (other layers) other than the above-mentioned first layer 11, barrier layer 12, and second layer 13, such as a glue layer for adhering each layer together, and a coating layer as the outermost layer on the side where the second layer 13 is located from the barrier layer 12.

(Glue layer)
The reinforcing material 10 may further include a glue layer 14 for bonding each layer. Specifically, the glue layer 14 may be provided between the first layer 11 and the barrier layer 12, or, as shown in Fig. 4, between the barrier layer 12 and the second layer 13. However, when the glue layer 14 and the barrier layer 12 are provided adjacent to each other and the glue layer 14 has barrier properties, the glue layer 14 is treated as a barrier layer as described above.
The method of forming the glue layer 14 is not particularly limited, and examples of the method include a method of applying a molten liquid of the material constituting the glue layer 14 to one layer of the object to be bonded, contacting the other layer to be bonded with the liquid, and then curing, or a method of applying a solution in which the material constituting the glue layer 14 is dissolved in a solvent to one layer of the object to be bonded, contacting the other layer to be bonded with the solution, and then removing the solvent and curing. The solvent is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve the material constituting the glue layer 14.

There are no particular limitations on the material of the adhesive layer 14, so long as it can bond the two layers to be bonded together. Examples include starch-based or vinyl acetate-based materials, and more specifically, starch or vinyl acetate.

The basis weight of the adhesive layer 14 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.3 gsm or more and 5 gsm or less, more preferably 0.3 gsm or more and 3 gsm or less, and even more preferably 0.3 gsm or more and 2 gsm or less.

(Coat layer)
The reinforcing material 10 may or may not further include a coating layer 15 as the outermost layer on the side where the second layer 13 is located as viewed from the barrier layer 12. An example of the reinforcing material 10 with the coating layer 15 is shown in FIG. 5. When the content of the scenting component contained in the first layer 11 is small, the scenting component diffuses in the first layer 11 and is unlikely to migrate to adjacent members. On the other hand, when the content of the scenting component contained in the first layer 11 is large, the scenting component is likely to migrate to members adjacent to the first layer 11, so it is effective to provide a coating layer. This migration of the scenting component is likely to occur, for example, when the reinforcing material 10 is laminated (for example, wound around a bobbin). In addition, it is preferable that the material of the coating layer 15 does not have adhesiveness in relation to the scenting component contained in the first layer 11.
The method of forming the coating layer 15 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of applying a molten liquid of the material constituting the coating layer 15 to the second layer 13 and then curing it, a method of applying a solution in which the material constituting the coating layer 15 is dissolved in a solvent and then curing it by removing the solvent, a method of providing a coating layer on the second layer 13 by flexographic printing or gravure printing, or a method of providing a coating layer on the second layer 13 by coating using the above-mentioned coating device. The solvent is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve the material constituting the coating layer 15.

The material of the coating layer 15 is not particularly limited as long as it can be coated, but from the viewpoint of being excellent in terms of not having adhesive properties in relation to the fragrance component contained in the first layer 11, for example, a water dispersion emulsion of polyvinyl alcohol: acrylic; cellulose derivative; or polyolefin, acrylic, etc. is preferred.

The basis weight of the coating layer 15 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.3 gsm or more and 10 gsm or less, more preferably 0.5 gsm or more and 4 gsm or less, and even more preferably 1 gsm or more and 2 gsm or less.

<Method of manufacturing reinforcing material>
The method for producing the reinforcing material 10 is not particularly limited, and the reinforcing material 10 can be produced by any known method capable of producing a laminate, or by combining known methods. Specific examples of the production method are shown below.
(1) A solution in which a material constituting the barrier layer 12 is dissolved in a solvent is applied onto the first layer 11, the second layer 13 is laminated on top of this, and the solvent is then removed from the solution to form the barrier layer 12. After that, the fragrance component is incorporated into the surface of the first layer 11 by a method such as coating or dripping.
(2) A solution in which the material constituting the barrier layer 12 is dissolved in a solvent is applied onto the first layer 11, the solvent is removed from the solution to form the barrier layer 12, a glue layer 14 is then provided on top of this, the second layer 13 is laminated, and the fragrance component is then incorporated into the surface of the first layer 11 by a method such as coating or dripping.
In the above methods (1) and (2), a wet laminator can be used. The solvent used in these methods is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve the material constituting the barrier layer 12.
(3) A method of applying a molten resin of the material constituting the barrier layer 12 onto the first layer 11, laminating the second layer 13 on top of the molten resin, and then curing the resin to form a barrier layer, and then incorporating a fragrance component into the surface of the first layer 11 by a method such as coating or dripping.
In the above method (3), an extruder can be used.
(4) A method in which a first layer 11 containing a fragrance component by a method such as coating or dripping, a barrier layer 12 produced by a coating method or extrusion method, and a second layer 13 are prepared, and each layer is connected with a glue layer 14 as described in the explanation of the glue layer 14 above.

The reinforcing material 10 may be made from the laminate obtained in each of the specific examples of the manufacturing methods described above as is, or may be made by cutting a large-area laminate obtained in each specific example to the desired size.

When the shape of the reinforcing material 10 includes a first panel and a side panel provided on the side of the first panel, the method for obtaining the reinforcing material 10 in this shape is not particularly limited, and an example of such a method is to fold a portion of one of the laminates obtained by each of the specific examples of the manufacturing methods described above as shown in Figure 2.

<Applications of reinforcing materials>
The reinforcing material 10 described above can be used in a wide range of applications, but is preferably used for packaging of tobacco products.

<Tobacco product packaging>
A package for tobacco products according to another embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as a "package for tobacco products" or "package") is a package formed of a packaging material for tobacco products,
a tobacco product accommodated in an internal accommodation portion by the packaging material for tobacco products; and a reinforcing material between an inner wall of the packaging material for tobacco products and the tobacco product;
the reinforcement material is the reinforcement material described above, and the first layer is arranged to face the side on which the tobacco product is located;
A package for tobacco products.

[Tobacco product packaging materials]
The form of the tobacco product packaging material is not particularly limited, and any known tobacco product packaging material may be used. Also, commercially available products such as aluminum-metallized paper may be used.
The shape of the packaging material for tobacco products is not particularly limited as long as it is in the form of a sheet, and it may be a single layer or a laminate consisting of multiple layers.
The thickness of the packaging material for tobacco products is not particularly limited.

The package formed by the packaging material for tobacco products may be sealed or not, but is preferably sealed, since a sealed package can prevent the tobacco products inside the package from coming into contact with outside air, which would cause deterioration of the quality of the tobacco products.
When the package is sealed, it is preferable that the tobacco product packaging material has a material having heat sealability (hereinafter also referred to as "heat seal material") in a part thereof (hereinafter, the part of the tobacco product packaging material other than the material having heat sealability will be referred to as the "substrate".) After assembling the tobacco product packaging materials to house tobacco products, the tobacco product packaging materials can be heated and/or pressurized to bond the substrates of the tobacco product packaging materials to each other via the heat seal material.
The type of heat seal material is not particularly limited, and for example, resins such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), or non-oriented polypropylene (CPP), or coating agents such as polyolefin aqueous dispersions can be used. In addition, the method of providing the heat seal material on the substrate of the tobacco product packaging material is not particularly limited, and examples of the method include coating methods.

The method for sealing the package is not particularly limited, and examples include a method in which a heat seal material is provided at a desired location on the base material of the tobacco product packaging material so that an airtight space can be formed by applying heat or pressure after assembling the tobacco product packaging material.

The package may be provided with a lid that can be opened and closed, and may be constructed so that the lid can be opened to remove the tobacco product from the package, and then the lid can be closed. From the viewpoint of being able to seal the package, it is preferable to provide an adhesive portion on the lid or on the part that comes into contact with the lid when it is closed.

Packages formed from tobacco product packaging materials may be distributed with the packaging material as the outermost part, or may be sold with another packaging material (outer box) attached to the outside to house the package.

The form of the outer box provided on the outside to house the above-mentioned package is not particularly limited, and any known box (containers generally called hard packages or soft packages) can be used.
2 is an embodiment in which an outer box 40 is used, in which a package 30 formed from a packaging material for tobacco products is contained, and a reinforcing material 10 and tobacco products 20 are contained within the package 30. Furthermore, the outer box 40 comprises an openable and closable lid and a support part that supports the lid, and the packaging material for tobacco products also comprises an openable and closable lid and a support part that supports the lid, and a part of the lid of the packaging material for tobacco products is bonded to a part of the lid of the outer box, so that the lid of the packaging material for tobacco products opens and closes when the lid of the outer box opens and closes.
As shown in Fig. 2, the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is preferably configured to come into contact with the support portion of the tobacco product packaging material when the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is closed, and more preferably, an adhesive is applied to at least a portion of the area (first area) of the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material that comes into contact with the support portion of the tobacco product packaging material and the area (second area) of the support portion of the tobacco product packaging material that comes into contact with the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material. In particular, the adhesive is preferably provided so as to seal the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material when the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is closed. This adhesive does not completely bond the lid portion and the support portion, but bonds the lid portion to the support portion to an extent that the lid portion can be opened and closed. In Fig. 2, the part of the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material indicated by X is the part where the adhesive is applied. When the lid portion is closed, the part where the adhesive is applied of the lid portion comes into contact with and adheres to a part of the support portion, suppressing the outside air of the tobacco product packaging material from entering the tobacco product packaging material, that is, the tobacco product packaging material is sealed. The type of adhesive is not particularly limited, and any known adhesive can be used. In addition, the method of applying the adhesive to a portion of the tobacco product packaging material is also not particularly limited, and any known method can be used.
Furthermore, in FIG. 2, a portion of the lid of package 30 and a portion of the lid of box 40 are glued together and configured to work in conjunction with each other, so that when the lid of box 40 is closed, the lid of package 30 is also closed.

　The above describes the reinforcing material according to the present embodiment and the packaging for tobacco products using the same, but each aspect disclosed in this specification can be combined with any other feature disclosed in this specification.

In the measurement of each characteristic in this specification, unless otherwise specified, the measurement sample is kept in an environment similar to the environment in which the measurement will be performed for at least 48 hours before the measurement. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the measurement temperature, measurement humidity, and measurement pressure are normal temperature (22±2°C), normal humidity (60±5% RH), and normal pressure (atmospheric pressure).

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples. However, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the following examples.

<Experiment 1: Evaluation of Barrier Properties>
[Evaluation of Barrier Properties]
The barrier properties of various materials were evaluated by the following method.
The following procedures (1) to (4) were carried out five times, and the five test pieces obtained were visually observed to see whether or not ethanol had penetrated into them.
(1) When polyvinyl alcohol (PVA117 manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) or starch paste was used as the material for the barrier layer, a coater was used to form a film on paper (Raicho, scented base paper 30 gsm) with the material shown in Table 1 so as to have the weight per unit area (basis weight of the final barrier layer) or film thickness shown in Table 1, which was then cut into a size of 50 mm x 50 mm to serve as a test piece. When low-density polyethylene (LDPE, Sumikasen L420 manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used as the material for the barrier layer, molten polyethylene was extruded onto the surface of paper (Raicho, scented base paper 30 gsm, manufactured by Chuetsu Pulp Kogyo Co., Ltd.) with an extruder, and then cooled and solidified to provide a barrier layer with the thickness shown in Table 1, which was then cut into a size of 50 mm x 50 mm to serve as a test piece.
(2) The test specimen was placed on a flat surface with the membrane side facing up, without touching the surface of the membrane.
(3) Three drops of ethanol (purity 99.5% or more) were dropped onto the film from a height of 25 mm using a dropper, taking care not to let the dropper touch the film.
(4) After 10 minutes, the ethanol adhering to the film was wiped off with tissue paper.
The five test pieces were visually inspected five times for penetration, and those in which no penetration was observed were given a grade of "T." The rest were given a grade of "F." These are shown in Table 1.
The above evaluation was carried out in an environment with a temperature of 23° C.±1° C. and a humidity of 50%±3%.
In addition, the basis weight (gsm) in Table 1 is the weight per unit area, and this weight is a dry weight.

From Table 1, it can be seen that the films of Reference Examples 2-3 and 5-7 have barrier properties and can be used as barrier layers.

<Experiment 2: Evaluation of permeation of tobacco product packaging materials>
<Manufacturing of tobacco product packaging materials>
[Example 1]
First, a first layer (30 gsm Raicho, manufactured by Chuetsu Pulp Industry Co., Ltd.) and a solution A in which polyvinyl alcohol (PVA117, manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) was dissolved in water so that the solid content concentration was 5% by weight were prepared, and the solution A was gravure printed on the surface of the first layer so that the weight per unit area (basis weight of the final barrier layer) was 0.5 gsm to provide a barrier layer. Next, a second layer (200 gsm Maricoat, manufactured by Hokuetsu Paper Mills Co., Ltd.) provided with a coating layer (1 gsm) of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA117, manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) was laminated on the barrier layer side using a wet laminator, and then a mixture of fragrance and solvent was applied to the surface of the first paper layer using a nozzle so that the fragrance (menthol) was 10 gsm, to produce a reinforcing material. At this time, the surface of the second layer laminated to the barrier layer is the surface on the side on which the coating layer is not provided. The basis weight of the entire reinforcing material was 231.5 gsm. It was also confirmed that the second layer was self-supporting by itself.

[Example 2]
A reinforcement material was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the barrier layer had a basis weight of 1 gsm. The overall basis weight of the reinforcement material was 232 gsm.
In addition, a reinforcing material manufactured in the same manner as in this Example 2 except that no coating layer was provided was used to evaluate the packaging suitability described below. It was found that the packaging suitability was slightly inferior to that of Examples 1 to 4, but superior to that of Comparative Example 1.

[Example 3]
A reinforcing material was produced in the same manner as in Example 2, except that solution A was changed to starch paste (1 gsm). The basis weight of the entire reinforcing material was 232 gsm.

[Example 4]
To form the barrier layer, molten low-density polyethylene (LDPE, Sumikathene L420 manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.) was extruded onto the surface of a first layer (Raichou 30 gsm manufactured by Chuetsu Pulp Industry Co., Ltd.) using an extruder, and a second layer (Maricoat 200 gsm manufactured by Hokuetsu Paper Mills Co., Ltd.) provided with a coating layer of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA117 manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) was laminated thereon, followed by cooling and solidification to produce a reinforcing material provided with a barrier layer having a thickness of 15 μm. At this time, the surface of the second layer laminated to the barrier layer was the surface on the side on which the coating layer was not provided. The basis weight of the entire reinforcing material was 246 gsm.

[Comparative Example 1]
A reinforcing material was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the first layer and the barrier layer were not used, that "Maricoat 230 gsm manufactured by Hokuetsu Paper Mills, Ltd." was used as the second layer, and that no coating layer was used. The basis weight of the entire reinforcing material was 230 gsm.

<Packaging>
After applying the flavoring by the above-mentioned method, a packaging machine manufactured by G.D. Societa Perazione was used to produce a package as shown in Figure 2, at a rotation speed of 500 rpm and with 20 tobacco products per unit. That is, a package consisting of a reinforcing material having a shape including a first panel and a side panel attached to the side of the first panel, a tobacco product wrapping material containing 20 tobacco products held inside the reinforcing material, and an outer box containing the tobacco product wrapping material.

<Packaging suitability>
After the individual wrapping was completed, all the cigarettes were removed from the wrapping and their packaging suitability was evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 2.
1: None of the cigarettes were crushed. 2: Some of the cigarettes were crushed. The above crushing occurred when the reinforcing material and the tobacco product were placed in the tobacco product packaging during the packaging stage. Specifically, the crushing occurred when the reinforcing material and the tobacco product were compressed when the tobacco product packaging was wrapped around them.

The barrier property evaluations in Table 2 were written with reference to the barrier property evaluations in Table 1. Specifically, for examples using barrier layers that were rated "T" in the "Judgment" column of Table 1, a "T" was entered in the "Barrier Property" column of Table 2, and for examples using barrier layers that were rated "F" in the "Judgment" column of Table 1, an "F" was entered in the "Barrier Property" column of Table 2. For comparative examples that did not use a barrier layer, a "-" was entered in the "Barrier Property" column of Table 2.

From Table 2, it can be seen that by using the configurations of Examples 1 to 4, it is possible to obtain a reinforcing material that is excellent in packaging suitability, i.e., excellent in stiffness.

The present invention provides a reinforcing material that allows tobacco products to be flavored while maintaining high rigidity, and a package for tobacco products that includes the reinforcing material.

Reference Signs List 10 Reinforcement material 11 First layer 12 Barrier layer 13 Second layer 14 Glue layer 15 Coating layer 20 Tobacco product 30 Package 40 Box

Claims (11)

1. A reinforcing material included in tobacco product packaging,
   The present invention provides a fragrance composition comprising at least a first layer containing a fragrance component, a barrier layer having a barrier property against the fragrance component, and a second layer,
   The barrier layer is disposed between the first layer and the second layer.
   Reinforcement material.
2. The reinforcing material according to claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer satisfies the following (Condition 1).
   (Condition 1) The following procedures (1) to (4) are carried out five times using the barrier layer, and penetration of ethanol is not visually observed in any of the five test pieces obtained.
   (1) A test piece is prepared by providing the barrier layer on a substrate.
   (2) Place the test piece on a flat surface with the barrier layer side facing up.
   (3) Three drops of ethanol (purity 99.5% or higher) are dropped onto the barrier layer from a height of 25 mm using a dropper.
   (4) After 10 minutes, the ethanol adhering to the barrier layer is wiped off with tissue paper.
3. The reinforcing material according to claim 1 or 2, which satisfies the following (Condition 2).
   (Condition 2) A fragrance is applied to the first layer so that the basis weight is 10 gsm, and after keeping for 14 days, penetration of the fragrance into the second layer is not visually observed.
4. The reinforcing material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first layer is a paper layer.
5. The reinforcing material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fragrance component includes menthol.
6. The reinforcing material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a coating layer as the outermost layer on the side where the second paper layer is located as viewed from the barrier layer.
7. The reinforcing material according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a first panel and a side panel provided on a side of the first panel.
8. A package for tobacco products having a packaging material for tobacco products,
   a tobacco product accommodated in an internal accommodation portion by the packaging material for tobacco products; and a reinforcing material between an inner wall of the packaging material for tobacco products and the tobacco product;
   The reinforcement material is the reinforcement material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the first layer is arranged to face the side on which the tobacco product is located.
   Packaging for tobacco products.
9. The tobacco product package according to claim 8, wherein the tobacco product packaging is sealed.
10. The tobacco product packaging material further includes an outer box for accommodating the tobacco product packaging material,
    the outer box comprises a lid portion and a support portion that supports the lid portion,
    The tobacco product packaging material comprises a lid portion and a support portion that supports the lid portion,
    a part of a lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is bonded to a part of a lid portion of the outer box, and the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is opened and closed by opening and closing the lid portion of the outer box.
    A package for tobacco products according to claim 8 or 9.
11. the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is configured to come into contact with a support portion of the tobacco product packaging material when the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material is in a closed state,
    an adhesive is applied to an area of the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material that comes into contact with the support portion of the tobacco product packaging material, and to at least a part of an area of the support portion of the tobacco product packaging material that comes into contact with the lid portion of the tobacco product packaging material;
    A package for tobacco products according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

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