HK1174599A - A package for tobacco industry products - Google Patents

Description

Packaging box for tobacco industry products

Technical Field

The invention relates to a packaging box for tobacco industry products. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a pack for cigarettes or other smoking articles, which pack contains in its lid a device for applying flavour to a group of smoking articles packaged in the pack.

Background

As used herein, the term "tobacco industry product" means any item made or sold by the tobacco industry, including generally: a) cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, tobacco for pipes or self-rolling cigarettes, (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, tobacco in the broadest sense, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes); b) non-smoking products comprising tobacco, tobacco derivatives, tobacco in the broadest sense, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes, such as snuff, snus (snus), hard tobacco (hard tobaco) and products that are heated but not combusted; and c) other nicotine delivery systems-such as inhalers, gummies and chewing gums. This list is not exclusive, but merely shows a list of products made and sold in the tobacco industry.

As used herein, the term "smoking article" includes smokeable products-such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos (whether tobacco-based or not), tobacco derivatives, tobacco in general, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes, and heated but non-combustible products. The smoking article may be provided with a filter for inhalation of an airflow by a smoker.

As used herein, the terms "flavor," "flavorant," and "flavoring" mean materials that are allowed by local regulations and that can be used to create a desired taste or aroma in a product. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or mixtures thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example oil, liquid or powder.

The tobacco industry has traditionally supplied smoking articles, such as cigarettes, in conventional packs, which are typically one of two types of packs known as soft cup type packs and box type packs. The soft-cup type packs are generally made of a low grade (weight per unit area) type of paper, whereas the box type packs are generally made of a stronger grade (heavier per unit area) type of paper, a type similar to cardboard. Typically, the cigarettes or other smoking articles contained in a particular pack all have the same organoleptic properties, thereby limiting the consumer to cigarettes or other smoking articles having the same properties.

It would be more desirable to provide consumers with the option of increasing the variety of available smoking articles.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a pack for tobacco industry products, the pack comprising: an aperture configured to receive a flavor carrier; and one or more flavour release elements configured to physically interact with the flavour carrier when inserted into the aperture, thereby causing the flavour carrier to release flavour into an interior region of the package so that the contents of the package are impregnated with the flavour.

The aperture may be in the lid of the pack.

The apertures may comprise slits having a size that substantially matches the size of the flavour carrier.

The aperture may comprise a pair of track elements configured to guide the flavour carrier into the aperture.

The flavor release element can comprise a groove in the aperture configured to rupture the surface of the flavor carrier to release the flavor.

The package may include an internal partition dividing an interior volume of the package into first and second regions for containing first and second groups of tobacco industry products.

The partition may be configured to prevent flavor from being released from the flavor carrier and transferred between the first and second regions of the package.

The apertures may be disposed adjacent one of the first or second regions such that, upon release of the flavour from the flavour carrier, the flavour is released into the region adjacent the apertures.

The package may further comprise a flavour carrier.

The flavor carrier can include a flavorant on a surface thereof.

The flavorant may be contained in tiny capsules at the surface of the flavor carrier, which may rupture upon contact with the flavor-releasing element to release flavor into the package.

The flavour carrier may be a chip or card of a size substantially matching the size of the aperture.

The pack may comprise a plurality of smoking articles which are impregnated with the released flavour attribute to alter the flavour of one or more of the smoking articles.

According to the present invention there is provided a pack for aromatizing cigarettes, the pack comprising a lid, a rear portion and a chip filled with flavour, wherein the lid comprises a slit of the same width as the chip and two rail elements holding the chip fixed to the lower portion of the lid, wherein the slit comprises a groove which breaks upon insertion of the chip into the slit and thereby tears the chip to open a plurality of micro capsules contained in ink on the chip to release flavour from the micro capsules onto cigarettes stored in a portion of the pack.

The lid and rear portion may comprise a rigid material and may be hingedly joined by a hinge portion located at the rear or back of the pack.

The pack may comprise a first region in which flavour will be infused and a second region in which flavour will not be infused, the regions being separated by a thin rigid wall which, when the lid is closed, retains the two regions apart by a seal in order to allow flavour to be infused into one or more cigarettes in the first region, thereby preventing the flavour from being infused from the first region into the second region.

The present invention relates to a tobacco industry packet comprising a lid provided with a system for releasing flavours into the packet. As explained below, the system may allow a user to actuate the release of flavor at a time selected by the user. The flavor can be released from the flavor chip or card and the cover can be adapted to store the flavor chip or card. The cover may be hinged and the card or chip may have dimensions similar to those of a "chip" or "SIM card" used in cell phones. The chip or card may be provided with a coating comprising a special type of ink or other substance comprising micro-capsules containing different flavourants/flavourings, such as menthol.

The cover may have a slit with a slot, and the slot may be configured to tear and open a micro-capsule contained in ink or other substance when a chip or card is inserted into the slit. By this action, flavour previously contained in the chip or card may be released into the interior of the pack and may be impregnated into a cigarette or other smoking article or tobacco industry product disposed in one region of the pack. The flavour agent may, for example, be impregnated within the smoking article in an area of the pack located directly beneath the card or chip. The area into which the flavour is released may be separated from the remainder of the interior region of the package by a divider panel within the package.

In this way, the invention can facilitate the release of flavour into a group of cigarettes or other smoking articles or tobacco industry products contained in a pack, thereby allowing consumers to consume a first group of smoking articles or other tobacco industry products with their original flavour characteristics, and also one or more second groups of smoking articles or other tobacco industry products with a variety of different flavours.

The present invention relates to a pack in which one or more cigarettes or other smoking articles contained therein are impregnated with a flavouring agent by using a special "chip" or card which uses a special ink comprising tiny capsules filled with a special flavouring. When the chip or card is inserted into the lid of the packet through a slot provided with a slot in the lid, the tiny capsules are torn and release the condiment into the interior of the packet in which a given number of cigarettes or other smoking articles are contained. As the released flavoring diffuses into the cigarette or other smoking article, the cigarette or other smoking article becomes saturated with flavor, thereby altering the original characteristics of the cigarette or other smoking article and providing it with a particular flavor.

The present invention relates to a packet for cigarettes, comprising a lid provided with a system for storing one or more substances in a chip or card in a given portion of the lid. The chip or card is in turn provided with a coating comprising an ink filled micro capsules containing various different flavours/fragrances. Upon introduction of the chip or card into the lid, a projection provided at the entrance where the chip or card is inserted will rupture the "beads" in the chip or card, thereby releasing the flavoring/flavorant contained in the micro-capsules and allowing the corresponding flavor to infuse into the cigarettes or other smoking articles stored in the selected portion of the main packet.

The primary package may include a first interior region which is made to be spaced apart from the area of remaining cigarettes or other smoking articles so as to allow only a portion of the cigarettes or other smoking articles to be filled with flavouring. A flavour barrier is provided to separate this first region from a second interior region of the pack, which contains smoking articles that are not impregnated with flavour. The barrier may be in the form of a wall or other suitable means for preventing the seasoning/flavourant released from the chip or card from entering the second region of the package. The maximum number of cigarettes or other smoking articles that will be impregnated with flavour will be the maximum number of cigarettes or other smoking articles that can be physically accommodated in the second region.

The lid may be joined to a back or rear wall of the pack and may be hinged so as to pivot about an axis formed by the intersection of the lid with the upper end of the back or rear wall of the pack.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, for exemplary purposes only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

in figure 1 there is shown a view of a lid for a tobacco industry pack with a flavour chip or card inserted therein;

in figure 2 is depicted an end section view of an assembled packet comprising a lid, a chip or card inserted in the lid and the body of the packet containing a plurality of cigarettes. A partition divides the body into first and second interior regions.

Figure 3 depicts a top or plan view of the package with the chip or card partially inserted into the lid. The location of the partition, which is an internal spacing barrier between the first and second interior regions of the package for preventing cigarettes in the second region from dipping into the flavoring, is also shown.

Detailed Description

Figures 1 to 3 show a pack 1 for containing 20 cigarettes. The package 1 includes a lid or cover 2, the lid or cover 2 being configured to contain a flavor carrier, such as a chip or card 3 containing and/or impregnated with a flavorant or flavoring. The pack 1 further comprises a body in which tobacco industry products, such as smoking articles, can be accommodated. The body of the packet 1 comprises a first zone 3.1 and a second zone 3.2 spaced apart from the first zone 3.1. A partition 4 is also provided between the first region 3.1 and the second region 3.2 to limit the ingress of flavour into a group of cigarettes such as those contained in the first region. This arrangement will be explained in more detail below. The first and second regions 3.1, 3.2 may be substantially equal in size, e.g. volume, or may be different. For example, as shown in figures 2 and 3, the second region 3.2 may be larger than the first region 3.1 and may therefore accommodate more cigarettes than the first region 3.1.

The packet 1 further comprises a rear portion 5, said rear portion 5 comprising two end walls, a first and a second opposite side wall and a rear or back wall opposite the lid. The walls of the rear portion 5 form a boundary to accommodate 20 cigarettes. Other numbers of cigarettes may alternatively be accommodated.

The lid 2 and the rear portion 5 comprise a rigid material, such as cardboard, and are hingedly joined by a hinge portion 6. For example, the hinge portion 6 may connect a rear or end wall of the packet 1 to the lid 2.

The first and second inner regions 3.1 and 3.2 are separated from each other by a partition which may comprise a thin rigid wall 4 between the two ends of the packet 1. The partition 4 keeps the two areas 3.1, 3.2 separated by sealing the rear portion 5 and the cover 2 when the cover 2 is closed, thereby avoiding the flavour from the first area 3.1 to enter the second area 3.2 or vice versa.

When closed, the pack thus provides a separation between the cigarettes disposed in the first region 3.1 and the cigarettes disposed in the second region 3.2.

The cover 2 has a slot 7 adapted to receive the fragrance chip or card 3. For example, the width of the slot 7 may be substantially equal to the width of the fragrance chip 3, such that the chip 3 forms a tight fit when slid into the slot 7. The slit 7 may also comprise 2 rail elements 8 and 9. The slot 7 is provided with flavour release elements, such as grooves, which destroy the chip 3 when the chip 3 is inserted into the slot. For example, as mentioned previously, the grooves may rupture micro-capsules containing one or more flavorants on chip 3. The flavourant is then released from the chip 3 into the package 1.

The chip 3 may be secured to the underside of the lid 2 by rail elements 8 and 9 so as to face the contents of the package 1 when said chip 3 is inserted into the lid 2. When inserted through the slit 7 provided with the groove, the chip 3 tears to open a plurality of microcapsules contained in a special ink (microcapsules having fragrance). This allows flavor to be released into the cigarette, as previously described.

The release of flavour may be restricted to products contained in one or the other of the first and second regions 3.1, 3.2 of the package 1. For example, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the slot 7 in which the chip or card 3 can be housed can be positioned directly above the first region 3.1 of the packet 1 or adjacent to the first region 3.1 of said packet 1. Thus, when a chip or card 3 is inserted into the cover 2, flavour released from the chip or card 3 enters the first region 3.1 but is prevented from entering the second region 3.2 by the sealing partition 4 separating the first and second regions 3.1, 3.2. Of course, the slit 7 could alternatively be positioned above the second area 3.2 or adjacent to said second area 3.2 to allow flavour to be released to the second area 3.2 instead of the first area 3.1. After release of the flavour, the cigarettes may be allowed to remain in the first interior region 3.1 of the pack 1 for a given period of time, allowing flavour to be released onto and impregnated into the cigarettes. In the case of the provision of the thin wall 4 separating the first zone 3.1 from the second zone 3.2, the cigarettes contained in the second zone 3.2 do not become impregnated with flavouring and retain the original characteristics of the product obtained from the manufacturer.

The flavour of the cigarettes in the first region 3.1 may only change slightly so that the change is not noticeable. The flavour change, although perceptible by the consumer, may also be of a degree that is not necessarily perceptible without sufficient attention. For example, a smoker who smokes a cigarette impregnated with flavoring from the chip or card 3 may not initially perceive that the flavor of the cigarette and/or smoke is different from normal. The flavour changes may be perceived by unconscious parts of the brain rather than conscious parts. However, the flavour change may thus improve the overall smoking experience.

Although a particular type of cigarette pack is described above, the invention is applicable to any tobacco industry pack in which a chip or card may be inserted to release flavourant to tobacco industry products contained within the pack.

Claims (16)

1. A package for tobacco industry products comprising:

an aperture configured to receive a flavor carrier; and

one or more flavour release elements configured to physically interact with the flavour carrier upon insertion of the flavour carrier into the aperture, thereby causing the flavour carrier to release flavour into the interior region of the package so that the contents of the package are impregnated with the flavour.

2. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the aperture is in the lid of the pack.

3. A package according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the aperture comprises a slit having a size substantially matching the size of the flavour carrier.

4. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein the aperture comprises a pair of track elements configured to guide the flavour carrier into the aperture.

5. A package according to claim 4, wherein the flavour release element comprises a groove in the aperture, the groove being configured to rupture the surface of the flavour carrier to release the flavour.

6. A pack according to any preceding claim wherein the pack includes an internal partition dividing the internal volume of the pack into first and second regions for containing first and second groups of tobacco industry products.

7. A package according to claim 6, wherein the partition is configured to prevent flavour release from the flavour carrier from passing between the first and second regions of the package.

8. A package according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the aperture is located adjacent one of the first or second regions such that, on release of the flavour from the flavour carrier, the flavour is released into the region adjacent the aperture.

9. A package according to any preceding claim further comprising a flavour carrier.

10. A package according to claim 9, wherein the flavour carrier comprises a flavourant on a surface thereof.

11. A package according to claim 10, wherein the flavourant is contained in micro-capsules at a surface of the flavour carrier, the micro-capsules being rupturable upon contact with the flavour release elements to release flavour into the package.

12. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein the flavour carrier is a chip or card of a size substantially matching the size of the aperture.

13. A pack according to any preceding claim comprising a plurality of smoking articles which are impregnated by the released flavour attribute to cause a flavour change in one or more of the smoking articles.

14. A packet (1) for perfuming cigarettes, comprising:

a cover (2); a chip (3) filled with a flavor; and a rear portion (5), wherein the cover (2) comprises:

a slit (7) having the same width as the chip (3); and

two rail elements (8) and (9) keeping the chip (3) fixed to the lower part of the lid, wherein the slit (7) comprises a groove which breaks and thus tears the chip (3) when it is inserted into the slit in order to open a plurality of tiny capsules in the ink contained on the chip, thereby releasing flavour from the tiny capsules onto the cigarettes stored in a part of the packet.

15. A pack as claimed in claim 14, wherein the lid (2) and rear portion (5) comprise a rigid material and are hingedly joined by a hinge portion (6) provided at the back or rear of the pack.

16. A pack according to claim 14, comprising a first zone (3.1) to be impregnated with flavour and a second zone (3.2) not to be impregnated with flavour, the zones (3.1, 3.2) being separated by a thin rigid wall (4) in order to allow flavour to be impregnated into one or more cigarettes in the first zone (3.1), the thin rigid wall (4) maintaining the two zones separated by a seal when the lid (2) is closed, thereby preventing flavour from being impregnated from the first zone (3.1) into the second zone (3.2).