Field of the invention

The present invention generally relates to an insert for a packet of smoking articles. Specifically, the invention relates to an insert with breath freshening articles.

Background

Some consumers of smoking articles such as cigarettes use some kind of breath freshener, especially immediately after smoking a cigarette. In particular, some consumers carry a breath freshening article such as a mint chewing gum, mint tablets, or a breath freshening spray. However, they may not always remember to carry such items with them all the time. Moreover, it is an additional item to worry about when going out. Often they end up buying new packets of these items when they need, although they may already have enough of such items at their homes. This leads to unnecessary expense and inconvenience.

To address this issue, some cigarette packets may include breath freshening articles, either attached to the outside of the cigarette packet or somewhere on the inside in the packet. However, doing so requires extra manufacturing steps, thereby pushing the costs up for both manufacturers and the consumers. Moreover, such packets are often difficult to open and it is not always possible to safely retain remaining articles in the packet after opening. In addition, such packets may have unusual shape, size, or weight making them less convenient for the consumers to carry them in their pockets.

US 5037459 discloses an insert for inclusion in a substantially sealed container to control the relative humidity within the container. The insert is a packet at least part of the surface of which is a membrane capable of passing water vapor and which contains a buffering substance.

WO 20141 14297 discloses a blister package consisting of a lower web in which a row of cavities is provided, and an upper web which is welded to the provided lower web. Perforation lines are provided between adjoining cavities. Therefore, there exists a need for a more convenient way of including breath freshening articles in a packet of smoking articles. Specifically, it is desired to include the breath freshening articles in the packet in a way that is both easy to manufacture and use by the consumers.

Summary of the invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an insert for a packet of smoking articles comprising a substantially rigid and flat support structure; at least one breath freshening article disposed on the support structure; and an outer cover configured to enclose the support structure and the breath freshening article.

Advantageously, by providing a breath freshening article supported on such an insert, the breath freshening article can be easily included in a cigarette packet. Also, it is convenient for a consumer to pull out the insert from the packet and access a breath freshening article for consumption post-cigarette. The consumer is not required to carry the breath freshening article separately and the cigarette packet need not be modified to accommodate the breath freshening article.

Preferably, the support structure is a cardboard stiffener or a plastic stiffener.

Advantageously, the support structure is thin and light but rigid enough so as to not deform when it is inserted into the packet.

Preferably, the insert comprises a plurality of breath freshening strips.

Advantageously, the breath freshening article is provided in the form of breath freshening strips which are thin, light, and easy to be included inside the packet.

Preferably, the plurality of breath freshening strips are stacked on top of one another. Advantageously, a large number of breath freshening strips can be provided in a stack arrangement for a neat and convenient packaging.

Preferably, the plurality of breath freshening strips are arranged as a sheet or band of strips with each strip attached to its adjacent strip or strips via a line of weakness. Advantageously, breath freshening strips provided as sheet with perforations between adjacent strips is another way of packaging the strips in a neat and convenient format.

Preferably, the outer cover is a wrapper disposed on both surfaces of the support structure and is configured to form a peripheral seal around the support structure so as to protect the breath freshening article.

Advantageously, the outer cover wraps the support structure along with the breath freshening article from all sides forming an air-tight seal which protects the breath freshening article from the flavor of the cigarettes in the packet.

Preferably, the wrapper is made of a heat sealable paper or a heat sealable foil.

Advantageously, the wrapper made of paper or foil is light and safe, preferably of food-grade qualified material, for the breath freshening article stored inside it. Also, being heat sealable allows the wrapper to be sealed around the support structure in a hygienic way by avoiding chemical-based adhesive.

Preferably, the wrapper is configured to be heat sealable to the surface of the support structure to form a median seal such that the insert is divided into two pockets on either side of the median seal, each pocket configured to contain a stack of breath freshening article.

Advantageously, by forming a median seal it is possible to store the stacks of breath freshening articles in two separate pockets which can be opened independently. This allows maintaining the freshness of the breath freshening articles stored in a second pocket while a first pocket is already in use.

Preferably, the wrapper comprises at least one opening mechanism formed in the peripheral seal along the longitudinal direction. Advantageously, the opening mechanism allows easy and neat opening of the pockets of the insert.

Preferably, the opening mechanism comprises an incision formed at an edge of the peripheral seal such that the wrapper can be opened by tearing the seal along the incision. Advantageously, a simple opening mechanism is provided by a cut or an incision at the edges of the pockets to tear open the pockets to access the breath freshening article.

Preferably, the thickness of the insert is less than 3 mm.

Advantageously, such a thin insert can be easily slid inside the packet. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a packet of smoking articles comprising the insert as described above.

Preferably, the insert is configured to be placed between an inner frame and a liner of the packet.

Advantageously, the insert can be placed inside the packet in a convenient location without modifying the packaging.

Preferably, the number of breath freshening article in the insert is at least equal to the number of smoking articles in the packet.

Advantageously, there is at least one breath freshening article available in the packet for the consumer after smoking a cigarette. According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a packet of smoking articles comprising a step of inserting the insert as described above into the packet.

Advantageously, a packet of smoking articles with an insert comprising breath freshening articles can be manufactured using existing processes with little or no modification. This saves manufacturing costs while providing a breath freshening article in the existing cigarette packet.

Brief description of the drawings

For a more complete understanding of the invention and the advantages thereof, exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a cigarette packet with an insert being placed inside the packet according to an aspect of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows an internal view of the insert of Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 3 shows an external view of the insert of Fig. 1 .

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate particular embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood with reference to the following detailed description.

It will be appreciated that common and/or well understood elements that may be useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are not necessarily depicted in order to facilitate a more abstracted view of the embodiments. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily illustrated to scale relative to each other. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps in an embodiment of a method may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrences while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used in the present specification have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study, except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

Fig. 1 shows a packet 100 of smoking articles such as cigarettes. The packet 100 is a conventional cigarette packet known in the art. In the present embodiment, the packet 100 is a rectangular shaped enclosure with a main body 101 that is configured to hold cigarettes (not shown) and a lid 102 hinged to the main body 101 at an upper side of the main body 101 . The lid 102 is configured to cover the upper opening in the main body 101 to protect the cigarettes contained inside the packet 100. The main body 101 comprises an outer frame 103 and an inner frame 104. The cigarettes are contained inside the inner frame 104 which is further covered with a liner 105. The liner 105 is usually made of aluminum, paper or synthetic foil or similar material. The outer frame protects the inner frame and provides rigidity to the packet 100. The packet 100 is formed of paper, cardboard or other conventional material known in the art.

An insert 106 is shown being inserted into the packet 100. The insert 106 is a thin but substantially rigid structure which contain one or more breath freshening articles. The insert 106 is shaped and sized such that it can be contained between the inner frame 104 and the liner 105, as schematically represented by an arrow in Fig. 1 . The insert 106 is configured to be easily inserted into the packet 100 during manufacturing and also to be easily pulled out by the consumer.

It is to be understood that the packet 100 may have additional features than those described above. The invention is applicable to all packets that are capable of containing the insert 106 anywhere inside the packet, without making any substantial modification to the packet 100.

Fig. 2 shows an internal view of the insert 106. The insert 106 comprises a tray-like support structure 201 , one or more breath freshening articles 202a, 202b, and an outer wrapper 203. In the present embodiment, the support structure 201 is a flat and substantially rigid piece made of cardboard or plastic. Preferably, the support structure 201 is a cardboard stiffener or a plastic stiffener. The support structure 201 is light in weight, preferably weighing no more than 170 g/m ² . The cardboard or the plastic used for the support structure 201 is preferably food-grade for hygiene and food safety reasons.

The breath freshening articles 202a, 202b are disposed on the support structure 201 . In the present embodiment, the breath freshening articles 202a, 202b are supported by the support structure 201 without being attached to the surface of the support structure 201. This is to avoid any contamination.

In the present embodiment, the breath freshening articles 202a, 202b are breath freshening strips. Breath freshening strips are flavored, e.g. mint-flavored, thin edible paper-like strips used for freshening breath and are well known in the art. A number of breath freshening strips can be stacked onto top of each other and may, but not necessarily, be connected to each other at one end. As shown in Fig. 2, two stacks of breath freshening strips 202a, 202b are supported on the support structure 201 , with each stack containing ten strips. In an alternate arrangement, the breath freshening strips 202a, 202b are provided in the form of sheet or band with each strip connected to its adjacent strip via a line of weakness. The line of weakness is formed via a series of perforations provided between two adjacent strips. The strips 202a, 202b can be folded along the line of weakness to form a stack. Also, a strip can be separated from the sheet easily along the line of weakness for consumption.

Preferably, the number of breath freshening strips 202a, 202b in the insert 106 is at least equal to the number of smoking articles in the packet 100. Preferably, a couple of spare articles are included in the insert. In this way, the consumer has at least one breath freshening strip after smoking a cigarette.

The insert 106 further includes the outer wrapper 203 provided on either side of the support structure 201 to form a closed and sealed wrapper or envelop around the strips 202a, 202b and the support structure 201 . The outer wrapper 203 is made slightly bigger than the support structure 201 to that it can completely cover the support structure 201 from all sides. The outer wrapper 203 is preferably made of a food-grade material such as foil or paper and is heat-sealable.

Fig. 3 shows an external view of the insert 106 when sealed. After the breath freshening strips 202a, 202b are placed on the support structure 201 , the outer wrapper 203 on either side of the support structure 201 is heat-sealed by forming a peripheral seal 301 around the periphery of the insert 106. The peripheral seal 301 ensures that flavors from the cigarettes in the packet 100 are not transferred to the breath freshening strips 202a, 202b and the freshness of the breath freshening strips is maintained. It is to be understood that the outer wrapper 203 may instead enclose the support structure 201 and the breath freshening strips 202a, 202b using an adhesive, wax, clips, or any other suitable means.

Once sealed, the overall length of the insert 106 is approximately 80 mm and the width is approximately 45 mm. The thickness of the insert 106 is less than 3 mm, preferably in the range of 0.5 to 1 mm.

The outer wrapper 203 is also attached to the surface of the support structure 201 in the middle, creating a median seal 302 dividing the insert 106 into two pockets 303a, 303b. In the present embodiment, the two pockets 303a, 303b are equal sized enclosures formed on either side of the median seal 302. The pocket 303a contains the breath freshening strips 202a and the pocket 303b contains the breath freshening strips 202b. The median seal 302 may be formed by heat-sealing process or by attaching the outer wrapper 203 to the surface of the support structure 201 with an adhesive. By forming the median seal 302, it is possible to maintain the freshness of one stack of strips while the other is in use. For example, the consumer can first open the pocket 303a to consume the strips 202a and only after all the strips 202a are consumed, the pocket 303b is opened to access the strips 202b contained inside it.

An opening mechanism is provided on the insert 106 for the consumer to easily tear open the insert to access the breath freshening articles 202a, 202b. In the present embodiment, two small cuts or incisions 304a, 304b act as the opening mechanism and are formed on the edges of the peripheral seal 301 to enable the consumer easily tear open the pockets 303a, 303b. The incisions 304a, 304b are made in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral seal 301 such that only an intended pocket is opened at a time. Also, the incisions 304a, 304b allow tearing along the peripheral seal 301 without damaging the outer wrapper 203 covering the strips 202a, 202b. Therefore, the remaining strips can be safely contained inside the pocket even after it is opened.

In another embodiment, the openings of the pockets 304a, 304b are re-sealable. This could be achieved by providing re-sealable flaps along the longitudinal direction, which can be pulled up for opening the pockets and folded back again to reseal the pockets. A re-sticking adhesive or any other known means can be used on the flaps.

In the manufacturing process of making cigarette packets, a large volume of packets are produced using automated machines on a high speed assembly line. For example, the machines can process about 600 to 1000 packets per minute. At such high speed, it is important that any article processed with the packets have sufficient rigidity so that it does bend, twist, or deform in any way. Any misalignment of such article in the process may cause serious damage to the machine and force it to stop. This is obviously undesirable. The insert 106 of the present invention has sufficient rigidity provided by the support structure 201 and therefore it is suitable for being processed on the same assembly line along with the cigarette packets. In this way, it is easy to insert the breath freshening articles into the packet during the manufacturing process without making any significant modification to the machine or the process. Therefore, cigarette packets including breath freshening articles can be manufactured in a cost effective manner and provided to the consumers in a convenient format. The above description relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention; however it will be appreciated that other implementations are possible. In particular, the skilled person may modify or alter the particular geometry and arrangements of the particular features of the packaging. Particularly, the shape and size of the insert 106 can easily be modified by the skilled person without affecting the functional behaviour of the insert and the packaging of the invention. Other variations and modifications will also be apparent to the skilled person. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known and which may be used instead of, or in addition to, features described herein. Features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, features which are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.