JP7630626B2 - A hinged-lid box of smoking goods with an overwrap - Google Patents

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102020000032222, filed on December 23, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a packet of smoking goods provided with an overwrap.
The invention finds advantageous application in the manufacture of rigid cigarette packets containing a set of cigarettes and, consequently, without loss of generality, will be explicitly described hereinafter.

Hinged-lid cigarette packets are currently the most popular cigarette packets on the market because they are easy to manufacture, easy to use, practical, and provide good protection for the smoking goods contained therein.

A hinged-lid cigarette packet comprises a flexible package consisting of a set of cigarettes wrapped in a sheet of metallic paper, and a rigid outer container containing the flexible package and having a hinged-lid.

Hinged-lid cigarette packets generally comprise a sealed overwrap (or one that is opaque to air) whose function is to protect the tobacco from the external environment (in particular to maintain the correct humidity of the tobacco). The sealed overwrap surrounds the outer container and consists of a packing sheet of a clear plastic material (typically cellophane or polypropylene) and is provided with a tear band that can be grasped and pulled by the user to separate (cut) the two overwraps, thus at least partially allowing simple and rapid removal of the overwrap.

The overwrap is made of a plastic material (which is transparent) while the cigarette packet is made of paper, so that when the cigarette packet is completed, the plastic overwrap must be separated from the cigarette packet in order to separate their disposal. In any case, very often, when the user first opens the cigarette packet, he removes only the upper part of the overwrap (which is directly connected to the tear band) while leaving the lower part of the overwrap (which is not connected to the tear band) around the cigarette packet. As a result, when the cigarette packet is completed, the user often forgets to separate the lower part of the overwrap from the rest of the cigarette packet and throws both into a "paper" container, thus incorrectly recycling the packaging material.

An additional obstacle to the complete removal of the overwrap (and therefore to the correct disposal of the overwrap) when the cigarette packet is first opened is due to the fact that while it is very easy to remove the upper part of the overwrap (which is directly connected to the tear band), in contrast it is more difficult and complicated to also remove the lower part of the overwrap (which is not connected to the tear band), especially when the overwrap has been sufficiently stretched around the outer container using a heat shrink treatment (which gives the overwrap a particularly pleasing appearance).

To facilitate complete removal of the overwrap, it has been proposed, for example as described in US Pat. No. 5,399,433, to incline the tear band relative to the wrapping sheet so that it is positioned along the diagonal of the cigarette packet; in any case, this solution involves significant modifications to the tear band application unit and therefore very high equipment costs.

In order to allow complete removal of the overwrap, it has been proposed to create weakening notches in the lower part of the overwrap, which induce rupture of the lower part of the overwrap after removal of the upper part of the overwrap (pulling on the tear band), as described, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,399,323; in any case, these weakening notches compromise the integrity of the plastic material constituting the overwrap, impairing the seal relative to the outside and thus at least partially eliminating the protective function of the overwrap for external substances.

To allow complete removal of the overwrap, it has been proposed to apply a tear element consisting of an adhesive label to the overwrap, as described, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,399,323; in any case, this solution is particularly expensive, both because of the need to add new material to the cigarette packet (label) and because of the need to add a new assembly for applying the label to the packing machine.

To facilitate complete removal of the overwrap, it has been proposed to apply additional secondary tear bands starting from the main tear band and extending laterally to the overwrap, as described, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,399,363. In any case, this solution involves significant modifications to the tear band application unit and therefore very high equipment costs.

Patent document 5 and patent document 6 describe other examples of boxes with an overwrap having a tear-off band that can be grasped and pulled by a vehicle to separate (sever) the two overwraps, thus at least partially allowing simple and rapid removal of the overwrap.

European Patent Application Publication No. 0601583(A1) European Patent Application Publication No. 1839845(A1) International Publication No. WO 2014/132171(A1) International Publication No. WO 2015/145304(A1) GB 2386234A1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,994(A)

The object of the present invention is to provide a hinged-lid cigarette packet with an overwrap, which allows for recycling of the packaging material while at the same time being easy and economical to manufacture.

According to the present invention there is provided a hinged-lid cigarette packet provided with an overwrap, as claimed in the accompanying claims.
The claims describe certain embodiments of the invention and form an integral part of this specification.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show some non-limiting embodiments thereof.
1 and 2 are two perspective views, front and rear, respectively, of a rigid hinged-lid cigarette packet provided with a transparent overwrap. Figures 3 and 4 are two perspective views, respectively front and rear, of the cigarette packet in Figures 1 and 2, after removal of the transparent overwrap, but still in a closed configuration. 5 and 6 are two exploded perspective views of the front and the packet respectively of the transparent overwrap of the cigarette packet of FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG. 7 is a plan view of a wrapping sheet used to manufacture the transparent overwrap of the cigarette packets in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modified example of the packaging sheet in FIG. Figures 9 and 10 are two side views of the cigarette packet of Figures 1 and 2 respectively before and after removal of the upper part of the transparent overwrap. FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of a rigid cigarette packet having a sliding opening with a transparent overwrap. FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the cigarette packet of FIG. 11 in an open configuration, after removal of the transparent overwrap; Figures 13 and 14 are two side views of the cigarette packet in Figures 11 and 12, respectively, before and after removal of the upper part of the transparent overwrap.

In Figures 1 and 2, reference number 1 generally indicates a rigid hinged-lid cigarette packet. The cigarette packet 1 comprises an outer container 2 made of rigid cardboard or card and cup-shaped, and a flexible wrapping 3 (partially shown in Figure 12) contained within the outer container 2, enclosing a set of cigarettes.

In the following description of the cigarette packet 1, terms such as "low", "high", "bottom" and "top" are used to indicate the positions of parts of the cigarette packet, and assuming that the packet is oriented such that its main extension, i.e., its length, coincides with the vertical direction, the bottom wall and top wall are oriented in the "low position" and "high position", respectively, and the horizontal direction is perpendicular to the vertical direction.

The outer container 2 has an open top end and is provided with a lid 4, which is cup-shaped and hinged to the outer container 2 along a hinge 5 (shown in FIG. 2) for rotation relative to the outer container 2 between an open position (not shown) at the open top end and a closed position (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2).

3 and 4, the outer container 2 has a basically parallelepiped, rectangular shape oriented according to a vertical main extension direction, is cup-shaped, has an open top end, a bottom wall 6 opposite the open top end, parallel and opposite front and rear walls 7 and 8 (wherein the hinge 5 is located), and two parallel and opposite side walls 9. Four vertical corners are defined between the front wall 7, rear wall 8 and side walls 9 of the outer container 2, while four transverse corners are defined between the walls 7, 8 and 9 and the bottom wall 6 of the outer container 2.

The lid 4 has an essentially parallelepiped, rectangular shape, is cup-shaped, and has an open lower end (facing the open upper end of the outer container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position), a top wall 10 (parallel to and opposite the lower wall 6 of the outer container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position), a front wall 11 (parallel to and aligned with the front wall 7 of the outer container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position), a rear wall 12 (parallel to and aligned with the rear wall 8 of the outer container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position and hinged to the rear wall 8 of the outer container 2 along hinge 5), and two parallel and opposite side walls 13 (parallel to and aligned with the side walls 9 of the outer container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position, in particular coplanar and adjacent). Four vertical corners are defined between the front wall 11, the rear wall 12 and the side walls 13 of the lid 4, while four horizontal corners are defined between the walls 11, 12 and 13 and the lower wall 10 of the lid 4. The longitudinal and transverse corners of the lid 4 are parallel to and aligned with the corresponding longitudinal and transverse corners of the outer container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position.

1 and 2, the cigarette packet 1 comprises an overwrap 14 surrounding an outer container 2, a lid 4 (the lid 4 being an integral part of the outer container 2) consisting of a wrapping sheet 15 (shown in FIG. 7) of a transparent plastic material (typically cellophane or polypropylene) folded around the outer container 2 and the lid 4, which comprises a tear band 16 that is grasped and pulled by a user to separate (cut) the overwrap 14 into two parts 17 and 18, thus allowing easy and quick removal of the overwrap 14. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tear band 16 separates (cuts) the overwrap 14 into a lower part 17 (completely detached from the tear band 16, i.e. having no connection point with the tear band 16) and an upper part 18 (connected to the tear band 16, i.e. integral with the tear band 16).

To allow for gripping, the tear band 16 has an initiation end 19 that is completely separated by the overwrap 14 and lifted up when the wrapper sheet 15 is separated by a continuous band of plastic packaging material (as clearly shown in Figures 7 and 8), forming through a suitable cut formed by the wrapper sheet 15.

The packaging sheet 15 is folded around the outer container 2 and the lid 4 and is thus stabilized using heat sealing, i.e. by joining through the heat-sealed overlapping portions of the packaging sheet 15. According to what is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the packaging sheet 15 has two opposing flaps 20 and 21 (shown separately in Fig. 7) that overlap and are heat-sealed to each other to form a longitudinal seal 22 that contributes to stabilizing the overwrap 14, and in addition, the overwrap 14 comprises two additional transverse seals 23 (shown in Figs. 5 and 6) that are arranged at opposite ends of the overwrap 14, extend perpendicular to the longitudinal seal 22 and contribute to stabilizing the overwrap 14.

According to what is shown in Figures 1 to 4, the lid 4 has a front edge 24 that defines the front wall 11 at the bottom, and two side edges 25 that define the side walls 13 at the bottom and connect one end of the front edge 24 to one end of the hinge 5. The front edge 24 of the lid 4 (when the lid 4 is closed) rests on a front edge of the outer container 2, and similarly, the side edges 25 of the lid 4 (when the lid 4 is closed) rest on corresponding edges of the outer container 2.

1 and 2, the tear band 16 is arranged between the upper wall 10 of the lid 4 and the front edge 24 of the lid 4, in this way the upper part 18 of the overwrap 14 is smaller than the lid 4 and the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14 also extends over a part of the lid 4 (i.e. partially covers the lid 4). In this way, when only the upper part 18 of the overwrap 14 is removed, it is still not possible to open the lid 4 by pulling the tear band 16, since the lid 4 is blocked by the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14, so that when first opening the cigarette packet 1, the user is forced to remove not only the upper part 18 of the overwrap 14 but also the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14, which are therefore pushed together in order to recycle correctly both the parts 17 and 18 of the overwrap 14 (i.e. all the overwrap 14).

According to a preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the tear band 16 is positioned higher than the leading edge 24 of the lid 4 so as not to have any portion overlapping the leading edge 24 of the lid 4. In particular, the tear band 16 is positioned at a non-zero distance D from the leading edge 24 of the lid 4, preferably with the distance D being at least equal to 2 mm and typically greater than 4 mm (typically in the range of 4 mm to 8 mm).

According to a possible embodiment, the tear band 16 is positioned closer to the top wall 10 of the lid 4 than the leading edge 24 of the lid 4.

According to a possible embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the tear band 16 is positioned to straddle the hinge 5. According to an alternative embodiment not shown, the tear band 16 is positioned between the hinge 5 and the front edge 24 of the lid 4, and according to an additional embodiment not shown, the tear band 16 is positioned between the top wall 10 of the lid 4 and the front edge 24 of the lid 4.

According to what is shown in Figures 5-6 and 9-10, the lower part 17 of the upper envelope 14 has at least one weakened line 26, which helps to tear it, occurring near the upper edge of the lower part 17 and extending towards the lower wall 6, and according to possible embodiments, the weakened line 26 can start exactly at the upper edge of the lower part 17 (i.e. next to the tear band 16), the weakened line 26 can start beyond the upper edge of the lower part 17 (i.e. including a small piece of the tear band 16), i.e. the weakened line 26 can start a short distance from the upper edge of the lower part 17 (i.e. a short distance from the tear band 16).

According to a preferred, but not yet limiting embodiment, the weakened line 26 is parallel to the longitudinal corner of the outer container 2 (defined between the front wall 7, the rear wall 8 and the two side walls 9), or the weakened line 26 can be slightly inclined relative to the longitudinal corner of the outer container 2 and can also have a zigzag progression.

According to a preferred embodiment, the weakened line 26 comprises at least one through cut that passes completely through the packaging sheet 15, i.e., the weakened line 26 may comprise a single continuous through cut, or may comprise a series (row) of equally spaced through cuts (i.e., spaced at a constant distance from one to the other).

According to a preferred embodiment, the weakened line 26 is located close to the longitudinal seal 22 (consisting of the junction of the two opposing flaps 20 and 21 of the packaging sheet 5) so that the weakened line 26 is completely surrounded by the junction where the two flaps 20 and 21 are sealed together, in this way the weakened line 26 does not put the inner overwrap 14 in communication with the outside environment, thus ensuring in any case the seal of the overwrap 14 which remains completely sealed from the outside environment.

According to a preferred embodiment, the longitudinal seal 22 has on the inside an intermediate region 27 without any seal between the two flaps 20, 21, and on the inside includes the weakened line 26, completely surrounded by the joint where the two flaps 20, 21 are sealed together. The function of the intermediate region 27 is, among other things, to form a seal over the weakened line 26, preventing the seal from "closing" the weakened line 26 (i.e. at least partially restoring the continuity of the packaging material across the weakened line 26) and thus eliminating its functionality. An additional (secondary) function of the intermediate region 27 is to increase the local weakening of the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14 in order to facilitate the breaking of the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14.

According to one possible embodiment, the intermediate region 27 has a longitudinal extension direction that is greater than the transverse extension direction, i.e. parallel to the longitudinal corners of the outer container 2 (defined between the front wall 7, the rear wall 8 and the two side walls 9), i.e. the intermediate region 27 has a "length" that is its "width".

According to one possible embodiment, the intermediate region 27 has a longitudinal extension that is greater than the longitudinal extension of the weakened line 26, i.e. parallel to the longitudinal corners of the outer container 2 (defined between the front wall 7, the rear wall 8 and the two side walls 9), i.e. the intermediate region 27 is greater than the weakened line in order to increase the local weakening of the lower part 17 of the top envelope 14.

Generally, the weakened line 26 includes only one of the two flaps 20 and 21 of the packaging sheet 15, i.e., the weakened line 26 is formed only on the inner flap 20 of the packaging sheet 15 (as shown in FIG. 8), i.e., the weakened line 26 is formed only on the outer flap 21 of the packaging sheet 15 (as shown in FIG. 7). It is also possible that only the flap 20 of the packaging sheet 15 has several weakened lines 26 separated and parallel between them, i.e., only the flap 21 of the packaging sheet 15 has several weakened lines separated and parallel to each other. Usually, the formation of two different weakened lines 26 on both the flaps 20 and 21 of the packaging sheet 15 is avoided, and any possible overlap (even only accidental overlap due to the influence of construction tolerances) of the two different weakened lines 26 on both the flaps 20 and 21 of the packaging sheet 15 is avoided from communicating the inside of the overwrap 14 with the outside environment.

According to a possible embodiment not shown, the weakened line 26 is also formed near the upper part 18 of the overwrap 14 and has the same structure as the weakened line 26 formed near the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14. Obviously, the weakened line 26 also formed at the upper part 18 of the overwrap 14 weakens the tear band 16 and therefore must be located above the tear band 16 (i.e. must not affect the tear band 16, unless only marginally) to avoid causing undesired breakage thereto when the tear band 16 is pulled.

According to an alternative embodiment shown in Figures 11 and 12, the cigarette packet 1 has a sliding opening and comprises an outer container 2 having an open end that is no longer located on top (as in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4) but on the side, and furthermore the cigarette packet 1 comprises an inner container 28 containing the packages 3, slidably accommodated within the outer container 2 so as to slide between a closed position (shown in Figure 11) in which the inner container 28 is fully located in the outer container 2, and an open position (shown in Figure 12) in which the inner container 28 is partially extracted from the outer container 2.

In the example of cigarette packets 1 shown in Figures 11 and 12, it is clear that in each case the overwrap 14 must be completely removed to allow access to the tobacco, i.e. both the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14 and the upper part 18 of the overwrap 14 must be removed to allow access to the tobacco, regardless of the position of the tear band 16.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 11, 13 and 14, the tear band 16 is placed (approximately) halfway so that the two portions 17 and 18 of the overwrap 14 have (approximately) the same size, while according to other embodiments the tear band 16 can be placed higher (so that the lower portion 17 of the overwrap 14 is larger than the upper portion 18 of the overwrap 14) or even lower (so that the lower portion 17 of the overwrap 14 is smaller than the upper portion 18 of the overwrap 14) compared to what is shown in Figures 11, 13 and 14.

Notably, in the embodiment shown in Figures 11, 13 and 14, the overwrap 14 is provided with a weakened line 26 (manufactured as described above, i.e. located in the intermediate region 27 of the longitudinal seal 22) to facilitate removal of the lower portion 17 of the overwrap 14 as well after removal of the upper portion 18 of the overwrap 14.

According to one possible embodiment, indicia (symbols and/or text) can be printed on the overwrap 14 (i.e., on the wrapping sheet 15) explaining (indicating) how to proceed with the rapid removal of the lower portion 17 of the overwrap 14.

The embodiments described herein may be combined with one another without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The above-mentioned cigarette packet 1 has a number of advantages. Firstly, the cigarette 1 encourages the correct recycling of packaging materials, since in order to be able to open the lid 4, it is necessary to remove not only the upper part 18 of the overwrap 14, but also the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14 (in fact, the lid 4 cannot be opened by the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14 alone), thus forcing the user to remove the entire plastic overwrap 14 without leaving the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14 around the outer container 2, and to dispose of it immediately in a suitable container, before finishing the cigarette 1. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned cigarette packet 1, the removal of the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14 is easy and quick thanks to the presence of the weakened line 26, which makes it possible to easily break the lower part 17 of the overwrap 14 (including when the overwrap 14 is stretched by heat shrinkage), simply by pulling the overwrap 14 with a finger at the weakened line 26. To this end, it is important to observe that, thanks to the specific positioning of the weakened line 26 in the longitudinal seal 22 of the packaging sheet 15, the presence of the weakened line 26 does not affect the sealing of the overwrap 14, which in any case remains completely sealed from the external environment.

Finally, the above-described cigarette packet 1 is very simple to manufacture compared to similar known cigarette packets, since it is sufficient to change the position of the tear band 16 relative to the wrapping sheet 15, to insert an additional blade in the cutting unit (already present) to create the weakening line 26, and to slightly modify the shape of the welding machine to create the intermediate area 27 in the longitudinal seal 22.

Although the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings refer to the manufacture of cigarette packets, the present invention can be applied without significant changes to the manufacture of any other type of packet of smoking goods (e.g. cigarette packets, e-cigarette packets for liquid vape, new generation cigarette packets without tobacco combustion).
The present invention has the following aspects (configurations).
[Aspect 1]
A packet of smoking goods (1), comprising:
an outer container (2) having a bottom wall (6), a front wall (7), a rear wall (8) and two side walls (9);
a lid (4) hingedly connected to the outer container (2) along a hinge (5), the lid (4) having a top wall (10), a front wall (11), a rear wall (12) and two side walls (13);
an overwrap (14) surrounding and enclosing the outer container (2) and the lid (4);
a tear band (16) connected to said overwrap (14) and designed to be pulled to separate said overwrap (14) into a lower portion (17) not connected to the tear band (16) and an upper portion (18) that is integral with the tear band (16);
The lid (4) has a front edge (24) which defines the front wall (11) at the bottom.
In a pack of smoking goods (1),
A packet (1) of smoking goods, wherein the tear band (16) is disposed between the top wall (10) of the lid (4) and the front edge (24) of the lid (4), the upper part (18) of the overwrap (14) is smaller than the lid (4), and the lower part (17) of the overwrap (14) partially covers the lid (4).
[Aspect 2]
A packet (1) of smoking articles as described in claim 1, wherein the tear band (16) is positioned higher than the leading edge (24) of the lid (4) such that it does not have any portion overlapping the leading edge (24) of the lid (4).
[Aspect 3]
A packet (1) of smoking articles according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tear band (16) is disposed at a distance (D) other than 0 mm from the leading edge (24) of the lid (4), preferably at a distance (D) at least equal to 2 mm.
[Aspect 4]
A packet (1) of smoking articles according to claim 1, wherein the tear band (16) is located closer to the top wall (10) of the lid (4) than to the front edge (24) of the lid (4).
[Aspect 5]
The lid (4) has two side edges (25), each of which defines the bottom side wall (13) and connects an end of the front edge (24) to an end of the hinge (5);
A packet (1) of smoking articles according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tear band (16) is located between the hinge (5) and the front edge (24) of the lid (4).
[Aspect 6]
The lid (4) has two side edges (25), each of which defines the bottom side wall (13) and connects an end of the front edge (24) to an end of the hinge (5);
A packet of smoking articles (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tear band (16) is positioned across the hinge (5).
[Aspect 7]
The lid (4) has two side edges (25), each side edge (25) defining the bottom side wall (13) and connecting an end of the front edge (24) to an end of the hinge (5);
A packet of smoking articles (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tear band (16) is located between the hinge (5) and the top wall (10) of the lid (4).
[Aspect 8]
A packet (1) of smoking goods as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower portion (17) of the overwrap (14) has at least one weakened line (26) which assists in tearing the overwrap (14), originating near an upper edge of the lower portion (17) and extending towards the lower wall (6).
[Aspect 9]
A packet (1) of smoking goods as described in aspect 7, wherein the weakened lines (26) are parallel to the longitudinal corners of the outer container (2) defined between the front wall (7), the rear wall (8) and the two front walls (9).
[Aspect 10]
A packet (1) of smoking goods according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the overwrap (14) comprises a packing sheet (15) folded around the outer container (2) and the lid (4) and stabilized by at least one heat seal, and the line of weakness (26) comprises at least one through cut that passes completely through the packing sheet (15).
[Aspect 11]
A packet (1) of smoking goods as described in claim 10, wherein the packaging sheet (15) has two opposing flaps (20, 21) that overlap and are heat sealed to one another to form a longitudinal seal (22), and the weakened line (26) is located in the area of the longitudinal seal (22).
[Aspect 12]
A packet (1) of smoking articles according to aspect 11, wherein the line of weakness (26) affects only one of the two opposing flaps (20, 21) of the packing sheet (15).
[Aspect 13]
A packet (1) of smoking goods as described in aspect 11 or 12, wherein the longitudinal seal (22) has an intermediate region (27) on the inside, which is free from the seal between the two opposing flaps (20, 21), which intermediate region (27) includes the weakened line (26) on the inside, and which is completely surrounded by the joint where the two opposing flaps (20, 21) are sealed to each other.
[Aspect 14]
A packet (1) of smoking goods as described in aspect 13, wherein the intermediate region (27) has a vertical extension, i.e. an extension parallel to the vertical corners of the outer container (2) defined between the front wall (7), the rear wall (8) and the two front walls (9), which extension is greater than the horizontal extension.
[Aspect 15]
A packet (1) of smoking goods as described in aspect 13 or 14, wherein the intermediate region (27) has a longitudinal extension, i.e. an extension parallel to the longitudinal corners of the outer container (2) defined between the front wall (7), the rear wall (8) and the two front walls (9), which extension is greater than the longitudinal extension of the weakened lines (26).

1 cigarette packet 2 outer container 3 package 4 lid 5 hinge 6 bottom wall 7 front wall 8 rear wall 9 side wall 10 top wall 11 front wall 12 rear wall 13 side wall 14 overwrap 15 packing sheet 16 tear band 17 bottom portion 18 top portion 19 initiation edge 20 inner flap 21 outer flap 22 longitudinal seal 23 transverse seal 24 leading edge 25 side edge 26 weakening line 27 middle region 28 inner container D distance

Claims (12)

A packet of smoking goods (1), comprising:
an outer container (2) having a bottom wall (6), a front wall (7), a rear wall (8) and two side walls (9);
a lid (4) hingedly connected to the outer container (2) along a hinge (5), the lid (4) having a top wall (10), a front wall (11), a rear wall (12) and two side walls (13);
an overwrap (14) surrounding and enclosing the outer container (2) and the lid (4);
a tear band (16) connected to said overwrap (14) and designed to be pulled to separate said overwrap (14) into a lower portion (17) not connected to the tear band (16) and an upper portion (18) that is integral with the tear band (16);
The lid (4) has a front edge (24) that defines the front wall (11) at its bottom,
the tear band (16) is disposed between the top wall (10) of the lid (4) and the front edge (24) of the lid (4), the upper portion (18) of the overwrap (14) is smaller than the lid (4), and the lower portion (17) of the overwrap (14) partially covers the lid (4);
In a pack of smoking goods (1),
the lower portion (17) of the overwrap (14) has at least one weakened line (26) that assists in tearing the lower portion (17) of the overwrap (14) and that originates near an upper edge of the lower portion (17) and extends toward the bottom wall (6);
said overwrap (14) comprises a packaging sheet (15) folded around said outer container (2) and said lid (4) and stabilized by at least one heat seal, said weakening line (26) comprising at least one through cut that passes completely through said packaging sheet (15);
the packaging sheet (15) has two opposing flaps (20, 21) that overlap and are heat sealed to one another to form a longitudinal seal (22), the weakened line (26) being located in the area of the longitudinal seal (22);
A box of smoking products (1). A packet (1) of smoking goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tear band (16) is positioned higher than the leading edge (24) of the lid (4) so as not to have any portion overlapping the leading edge (24) of the lid (4). A packet (1) of smoking articles according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tear band (16) is located at a distance (D) other than 0 mm from the leading edge (24) of the lid (4). A packet (1) of smoking goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tear band (16) is positioned closer to the top wall (10) of the lid (4) than to the front edge (24) of the lid (4). The lid (4) has two side edges (25), each of which defines the side wall (13) of the base and connects an end of the front edge (24) to an end of the hinge (5);
A packet (1) of smoking goods according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tear band (16) is located between the hinge (5) and the front edge (24) of the lid (4). The lid (4) has two side edges (25), each of which defines the side wall (13) of the base and connects an end of the front edge (24) to an end of the hinge (5);
A packet of smoking goods (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tear band (16) is arranged astride the hinge (5). The lid (4) has two side edges (25), each of which defines a side wall (13) of the base and connects an end of the front edge (24) to an end of the hinge (5);
A packet of smoking goods (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tear band (16) is located between the hinge (5) and the top wall (10) of the lid (4). A packet (1) of smoking goods as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the lines of weakness (26) are parallel to the longitudinal corners of the outer container (2) defined between the front wall (7), the rear wall (8) and the two side walls (9). A packet (1) of smoking goods as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the line of weakness (26) affects only one of the two opposing flaps (20, 21) of the packing sheet (15). A packet (1) of smoking goods as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the longitudinal seal (22) has, on the inside, an intermediate area (27) which is free from the seal between the two opposing flaps (20, 21), which intermediate area (27) includes, on the inside, the weakened line (26) and which is completely surrounded by the joint where the two opposing flaps ( 20 , 21) are sealed to each other. A packet (1) of smoking goods as claimed in claim 10, wherein the intermediate region (27) has a longitudinal extension, i.e. an extension parallel to the longitudinal corners of the outer container (2) defined between the front wall (7), the rear wall (8) and the two side walls (9), which extension is greater than its lateral extension . A packet (1) of smoking goods as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the intermediate region (27) has a longitudinal extension, i.e. an extension parallel to the longitudinal corners of the outer container (2) defined between the front wall (7), the rear wall (8) and the two side walls ( 9 ), which extension is greater than the longitudinal extension of the weakened lines (26).

Images