WO2014132037A1

WO2014132037A1 - A blank of wrapping material

Info

Publication number: WO2014132037A1
Application number: PCT/GB2014/050529
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Hodges
Original assignee: British American Tobacco Investments Ltd; British American Tobacco Co Ltd
Current assignee: British American Tobacco Investments Ltd
Priority date: 2013-02-27
Filing date: 2014-02-21
Publication date: 2014-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 2015-08-27
Also published as: GB201303446D0; GB2515987A

Abstract

A blank of wrapping material foldable about a tobacco industry product is disclosed. The blank includes at least one pleat forming a region having multiple layers of wrapping material.

Description

A blank of wrapping material

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a blank of wrapping material for being folded about a tobacco industry product. The present invention also relates to a bundle of smoking articles comprising a charge of smoking articles and a wrapping material enclosing the charge of smoking articles, and a bundle of smoking articles received in a pack. Background

Smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos, are typically bundled together and wrapped in a sheet of material, for example, a sheet of paper laminated with metal foil . The sheet of material helps to preserve the freshness and the aroma of the tobacco in the smoking articles. The wrapped bundle of smoking articles is further stored in a pack which protects the cigarettes from mechanical and environmental damage. The pack can be enclosed in an outer transparent plastic film so as to further ensure that the smoking articles are protected from any environmental impact. To access the smoking articles, a user pulls on a tab of the plastic film such that the plastic film tears open. Thereafter, the user opens a lid of the pack such that the laminated paper is exposed. The paper is typically formed with a line of weakness, such as perforations, so that a user can easily separate a portion from the remainder of the paper by tearing it along the line of perforations so as to gain access to the smoking articles held within.

Summary

According to the present invention, there is provided a blank of wrapping material foldable about a tobacco industry product, the blank including at least one pleat forming a region having multiple layers of wrapping material.

In one embodiment, the blank of wrapping material has edges that overlap each other and the pleat is formed in the material remote from the edges when the wrapping material is folded about a tobacco industry product. In one embodiment, the blank of wrapping material forms a front, rear and top wall, when folded about a tobacco industry product and the pleat is located so that it at least extends across the front wall. According to the present invention, there is also provided a bundle of smoking articles for insertion into a smoking article pack comprising a charge of smoking articles and a wrapping material enclosing the charge of smoking articles, wherein the wrapping material includes at least one pleat to form a region of wrapping material having multiple layers.

In one embodiment, the wrapping material may have edges that overlap each other and the pleat is formed in the material remote from the edges.

The wrapping material may comprise a front, rear and top wall, and the pleat is located so that it at least extends across the front wall.

In another embodiment, the smoking articles may each comprise a longitudinal axis and they are arranged in rows such that the longitudinal axis of each smoking article is parallel to one another, and the pleat is parallel to the

longitudinal axis of the smoking articles.

In an alternative embodiment, the smoking articles may each comprise a longitudinal axis and they are arranged in rows such that the longitudinal axis of each smoking article is parallel to one another, the pleat extending at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking articles.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a smoking article pack having a bundle of smoking articles as described above received therein such that the or each pleat in the wrapping material is visible when the lid is open.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of folding a blank of wrapping material as described above, wherein the method comprises the steps of forming a pleat, and then folding the blank about a tobacco industry product. Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure i shows a transparent front view of a wrapped bundle of smoking articles according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the wrapped bundle of smoking articles s hown in Figure l;

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a front wall of the wrapped bundle of smoking articl es;

Figure 4 shows a blank of wrapping material for enclosing a charge of smoking articles; and

Figure 5 shows a front view of a wrapped bundle of smoking articles received in a pack according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention strengthen a blank of wrapping material folded about a tobacco industry product, reduce accidental tearing and maintain the freshness and aroma of the tobacco industry product until a user removes the wrapping material from the tobacco industry product.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figures 1 and 2 a charge of smoking articles 1 wrapped in a wrapping for insertion into a smoking article pack 15. The wrapping comprises an elongate sheet or bl ank of wrapping material 3, such as foil or paper laminated with foil, which encloses the charge of smoking articles 1 such that said smoking articles are arranged in rows with the longitudinal axis 'A' of each smoking article being parallel to one another. The elongate sheet of material 3 may be formed from foil or paper l aminated with foil.

The sheet or blank of material 3 encloses the charge of smoking articles 1. It is fol ded about the charge of smoking articles such that it forms a front wall 4 and a rear wall (not shown), wherein the front 4 and rear walls are parallel to the l ongitudi nal axis 'A' of the smoking articles. The sheet of material 3 also forms a bottom wall 5 facing the combustible end 6 of the smoking articles. Furthermore, the sheet of material forms side walls 8, 9 and a top wall 11 of the wrapped charge of smoking articles 2 as will now be described,

The side walls 8, 9 comprises side flaps 4a, 4b (only right side flaps are visible in Figure 2) that extend from the front 4 and rear walls towards the sides of the bundle and that are folded around onto the sides of the smoking articles. The flaps 4a extending from the front wail 4 overlap the flaps 4b extending from the rear wall. Similarly, top flaps 14a, 14b, 14c, I4d extending from the front wall 4, rear wall and the two side walls 8, 9 in an opposite direction to the bottom wail 5 are folded across the mouth end 7 of the smoking articles so as to form the top wall 11. The top flaps 14c, i4d extending form the side walls 8, 9 are folded first, thereafter the top flap 14b extending from the rear wall is folded and lastly the top flap 14a extending from the front wall 4 is folded such that it overlaps all the other top flaps 14b, 14c, i4d.

The sheet of material 3 comprises a line of weakness 12. This line can be scored, perforated or punctured so as to form a weakened line. The line of weakness 12 extends between opposite long edges of the elongate sheet of material 3 such that it defines a portion 13 of the sheet of material. When the sheet of material 3 encloses the charge of smoking articles 1, the line of weakness 12 is located on the front wall 4 and on its corresponding side flaps 4a (only one flap is visible in Figure 2) which forms part of the side walls 8, 9 of the bundle. Thus, the portion 13 forms an upper end of the wrapped charge of smoking articles.

To remove the portion 13 from the wrapped bundle of smoking articles, a user pulls on the top flap 14a extending from the front wall 4 of the wrapped charge of smoking articles 2 such that wrapping tears or separates along the line of weakness 12. The user pulls in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 'A' of the smoking articles which is represented by an arrow ('Β') in Figures 2 and 5. This direction is referred to as a first direction.

Prior to, or as the sheet of material 3 is wrapped around the charge of smoking articles 1, the sheet of material is provided with at least one additional strengthening fold. In the embodiment seen in Figures 1 and 2, the wrapped bundl e of smoking arti cles 2 comprises a fold 10. The fol d is formed by foldi ng a mid-section of the elongate sheet of material back on itself such that the fold 10 compri ses three layers of the sheet of material as can best be seen in Figure 5. The fold 10 introduces a pleat into the material, i. e. a region in which the materi al is fol ded back on itself to form mu ltiple layers, thereby increasing the strength and rigidity of the wrapping material in this region. Although only one pl eat is shown so as to form a three layered structure, it will be appreciated that further folds can be imparted to the material to further increase the number of l ayers of wrapping materi al .

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the front wall 4 transverse to the longitudinal axis 'A' of the smoking articl es. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the fold 10 is formed along the longitudinal axis of the elongate sheet of material 3 such that it is parallel to the l ongitudinal axis 'A' of the smoking articles. Furthermore, it is also shown located off-centre on the front 4, rear and top 11 walls of the wrapped bundle of smoking articl es. H owever, it will be appreciated that the fold may not extend in a longitudinal direction and need not be located off-centre, as illustrated, but can be formed in any position i n the material to provide a region having multiple layers.

For example, in alternative embodiments, the elongate sheet of material can be folded al ong its longitudinal axis such that a fold is l ocated along the centre on the front 4, rear and top walls 11 of the wrapped bundle. In another un- illustrated embodiment, the fold is located on the front 4, rear, and top wall s 11 proximal to one of the side walls 8, 9.

The single or plurality of folds are, in at least some embodiments, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate sheet of material such that it is also parallel to the longitudinal axis 'A' of the smoking articles enclosed within the wrapping. Each fold comprises three layers of the sheet of material 3 which creates a localised enhanced thickness of the material 3 such that it increases the stability and strength of the wrapped bundl e of smoki ng arti cles.

The wrapped charge of smoking articles is receivable in a smoking article pack such that at least part of the fold(s) will be visible when the user has opened the smoking article pack. The fold may also make the removable portion easier to separate from the portion of the wrapping that remains, as a user may be able to slip a finger or nail beneath the fold to gain purchase on the wrapping in order to pull it away. In an alternative embodiment, the elongate sheet of material 3 is folded in a different pattern such that it comprises a first 21 and a second fold 22 that are at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis 'A' of the smoking articles and a third fold 23 that is parallel to said longitudinal axis Ά'. This is best seen in Figure 5. In Figure 5, a wrapped charge of smoking articles is located in a body 17 of a pack 15. The pack comprises a frame 16 received in the body 17. The pack may also comprise a lid, however it is omitted from this drawing for the sake of clarity. The first, second and third folds 21, 22, 23 are visible on the front wall 4 and top wall 11 of the wrapping when a user has opened the lid.

Advantageously, each fold creates a localised enhanced thickness of the material in a plurality of directions and regions such that the overall strength of the wrapped bundle of smoking articles is increased.

The present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above. It is intended that the scope of the present invention includes wrapped charge of articles having a single fold parallel or at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis 'A' of the smoking articles. Alternatively, the wrapped charge of smoking articles may comprise a plurality of folds that may be parallel or they may be at different angles relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking articles. Furthermore, the fold(s) does not have to extend across the front, rear and top wall. It may extend across only on of these walls or a combination thereof.

It should be appreciated that the wrapped charge of smoking articles 2 as described above is not limited to the pack described herein. The wrapped charge of smoking articles can be used with any pack which enables a charge of smoking articles to be wrapped in a wrapping having a removable portion. As used herein, the term "smoking article" includes s okeable products such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes and also heat-not-burn products. The smoking article may be provided with a filter for the gaseous flow drawn by the smoker.

Furth ermore, the present invention is not limited to smoking articles. It shall be envisaged that the blank or sheet of wrapping material can be used for enclosing or being folded about any tobacco industry product.

A tobacco industry product refers to any item made in, or sold by the tobacco industry, typically including a) cigarettes, cigarill os, cigars, tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own cigarettes, (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes); b) non- smoking products incorporating tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes such as snuff, snus, hard tobacco, and heat-not-burn products; and c) other nicotine-delivery systems such as inhal ers, lozenges and gum. This list is not intended to be exclusive, but merely illustrates a range of products which are made and sold in the tobacco industry.

A tobacco industry pack refers to any pack that can contain and/or receive a tobacco industry product.

In order to address various issues and advance the art, the entirety of this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced and provide for superior bundl e of smoking articles and blank of wrapping material. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of em bodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and teach the claimed principles. It should be understood that th ey are not representative of all claimed inventions. As such, certain aspects of the disclos ure have not been discussed herein. That alternate embodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of the invention or that further undescribed alternate embodiments may be available for a portion is not to be considered a disclaimer of those alternate embodiments. It will be appreciated that many of those undescribed embodiments incorporate the same principles of the invention and others are equivalent. Thus, it is to he understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the disclosure. As such, ail examples,

implementations, and/or embodiments are deemed to be non-limiting

throughout this disclosure. Also, no inference should be drawn regarding those embodiments discussed herein relative to those not discussed herein other than it is as such for purposes of reducing space and repetition. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. Some of the disclosed features, elements, implementation, etc., may be mutually contradictory, in that they cannot be simultaneously present in a single embodiment. Similarly, some features are applicable to one aspect of the

disclosure, and inapplicable to others. In addition, the disclosure includes other inventions not presently claimed. Applicant reserves all rights in those presently unclaimed inventions including the right to claim such inventions, file additional applications, continuations, continuations in part, divisions, and/or the like thereof. As such, it should be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, function, features, structural, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims.

Claims

1. A blank of wrapping material foldable about a tobacco Industry product, the blank including at least one pleat forming a region having multiple layers of wrapping material.

2. A blank of wrapping material according to claim l, wherein the blank of wrapping material has edges that overlap each other and the pleat is formed in the material remote from the edges when the blank of wrapping material is folded about a tobacco industry product.

3. A blank of wrapping material according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the blank of wrapping material forms a front, rear and top wall, when folded about a tobacco industry product and the pleat is located so that it at least extends across the front wall.

4. A bundle of smoking articles for insertion into a smoking article pack comprising a charge of smoking articles and a wrapping material enclosing the charge of smoking articles, wherein the wrapping material includes at least one pleat to form a region of wrapping material having multiple layers.

5. A bundle of smoking articles according to claim 4, wrapping material has edges that overlap each other and the pleat is formed in the material remote from the edges.

6. A bundle of smoking articles according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the wrapping material comprises a front, rear and top wall, and the pleat is located so that it at least extends across the front wall.

7. A bundle of smoking articles according to any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the smoking articles each comprises a longitudinal axis and they are arranged in rows such that the longitudinal axis of each smoking article is parallel to one another, and the pleat is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the smoking articles.

8. A bundle of smoking articles according to any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the smoking articles each comprises a longitudinal axis and they are arranged in rows such that the longitudinal axis of each smoking article is parallel to one another, the pleat extending at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking articles.

9. A smoking article pack having a bundle of smoking articles according to any of claims 4 to 8 received therein such that the or each pleat in the wrapping material is visible when the lid is open,

10. A blank of wrapping material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A bundle of smoking articles su bstantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A method of folding a blank of wrapping material as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the method comprises the steps of forming a pleat, and then folding the blank about a tobacco industry product.