Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a barrier material in a sheet of board material, to a pack comprising a bundle of tobacco industry products, to a packaging machine for packaging a wrapped bundle of tobacco industry products in a sheet of board material, and to apparatus for increasing the receptivity of a surface of a sheet of board material, that has a surface layer or coating, to adhesive.

Background

Tobacco industry products, such as smoking articles, including cigarettes, are contained in packs. Packs typically have an outer carton made from board, such as cardboard, which is folded to form a base and a hinged-lid. An inner frame may be attached to the base so that it protrudes from the base so that it is received in the lid when closed.

The bundle of tobacco industry products may comprise a group of tobacco industry products wrapped in a flexible barrier material that has a section that is separable from the remainder of the barrier material to form an extraction opening. A flexible label is attached to the section and to the lid so that, when the lid is rotated into its open position, the section is lifted together with the flexible label to open the extraction opening through which the tobacco industry products maybe removed.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the embodiments described herein, there is provided a method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a barrier material in a sheet of board material, and in which a packaging machine folds the sheet of board material to form a base to contain a bundle, and a lid rotatable relative to the base between open and closed positions, the lid having a front wall and a lid front wall flap having a rear face that lies against an inner surface of the lid front wall to enable a label, that extends over a section of the barrier material that defines an extraction opening, to be adhered to a front face of the lid front wall flap with adhesive so that the section is lifted to open the extraction opening upon rotation of the lid towards its open position, wherein the method includes: non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap to increase the receptivity of the lid front wall flap to the adhesive used to adhere the label to the front face of the lid front wall flap. The method may comprise non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap after positioning the lid front wall flap so that its rear face lies against the inner surface of the lid front wall.

The method may comprise non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap after the rear face of the lid front wall flap has been adhered to the inner surface of the lid front wall.

The board may comprise a surface layer or coating which is on said front face of the lid front wall flap, and the method may then comprise non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap to remove at least a portion of the surface layer or coating.

Preferably, the method comprises non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap using a laser. The rated power of the laser may be too Watts, and the method may comprise operating the laser at between 50% to 100% of its rated power.

The method may include moving the laser relative to the front face of the lid front wall flap during treatment.

The method may comprise treating the front face of the lid front wall flap using a plurality of lasers.

The method may comprise non-mechanically treating the front face of the lid front wall flap with a chemical or plasma in addition to, or separately from, treatment using a laser.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of increasing the receptivity of a surface of a sheet of board material for use in forming a container for containing a bundle of tobacco industry products, and which has a surface layer or coating, to adhesive, comprising non-mechanically treating the sheet of board material to remove at least a part of the surface layer or coating.

The method may comprise non-mechanically treating the sheet of board material using a laser.

The method may comprise non-mechanically treating the sheet of board material with a chemical or plasma in addition to, or separately from, the use of a laser. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a pack comprising a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a barrier material and received in a container formed from a sheet of folded board material, the container comprising a base and a lid, the lid having a lid front wall and a lid front wall flap having a rear face that lies against an inner surface of the lid front wall, the lid being rotatable relative to the base between open and closed positions,

wherein a front face of the lid front wall flap is non-mechanically treated to increase the receptivity of the surface of the lid front wall flap to adhesive, and

a flexible label is adhered to said non-mechanically treated front face of the lid front wall flap, and to a section of the barrier material that defines an extraction opening, so that the section is lifted to open the extraction opening when the lid is rotated into the open position.

The front face of the board may comprise a surface layer or coating, and the non- mechanical treatment to a front face of the lid front wall flap removes at least a portion of the surface layer or coating.

The surface layer or coating maybe a metallised surface layer. The sheet of board material maybe Transmet board. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a packaging machine for packaging a wrapped bundle of tobacco industry products in a sheet of board material, the packaging machine comprising:

a folding unit for folding a sheet of board material about the bundle to form a base and a lid, the lid being attached to the base and being rotatable between open and closed positions, the lid also having a lid front wall and a lid front wall flap with a front and a rear face, the folding unit being configured to fold the lid front wall flap so that the rear face lies against an inner surface of the lid front wall,

a treatment unit to non-mechanically treat the front face of the lid front wall flap, and

an adhering unit for adhering a flexible label to the treated front face of the lid front wall flap.

The treatment unit may be configured to non-mechanically treat the front face of the lid front wall flap after the folding unit has folded the lid front wall flap so that the rear face of the lid front wall flap lies agains the inner surface of the lid front wall.

The treatment unit may comprise a laser. The rated power of the laser may be too Watts. The laser may be controlled at between 50% to 100% of its rated power. The packaging machine may comprise a drive unit to move the laser relative to the lid front wall flap during treatment. The treatment unit may comprise a plurality of lasers.

The treatment unit may be configured to treat the lid front wall flap chemically or using plasma.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for increasing the receptivity of a surface of a sheet of board material, for use in forming a container for containing a bundle of tobacco industry products and that has a surface layer or coating, to adhesive, the apparatus comprising a treatment unit for non-mechanically treating the sheet of board material to remove at least a portion of the surface layer or coating.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a pack according to an embodiment of the invention with the lid open, and in which a lower edge or a tab region of a label is attached to the front face of a lid front wall flap;

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional side elevation of an upper portion of the pack according to Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a top plan view of part of a sheet of board material that is foldable to form a container in which a bundle of tobacco industry products is received; and Figure 4 illustrates how the lid front wall flap may be treated using a laser or other non- mechanical treatment device.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows an example rigid pack 1, made from a board material such as

paperboard or cardboard, with a hinged lid 2 and a base 3 containing a group of cigarettes 4 wrapped in a barrier material 5 to form a bundle 6. An extraction opening 7 is formed in the barrier material 5. The extraction opening 7 is formed when a separable section 8 of the barrier material 5 is lifted to allow access to the cigarettes 4. The barrier material 5 maybe made of metallized plastics or of a plastics/metal foil laminate material. A label 9 extends over and is attached to the section 8 and has, on its undersurface facing the barrier material 5, a pressure sensitive re-stick adhesive which is of sufficient strength to ensure that the label 9 remains adhered to the section 8. As an alternative to re-stick adhesive, a permanent bonding adhesive may be applied to the portion of the undersurface of the label 9 which overlies the removable section 8.

However, where the label 9 extends beyond the removable section 8, its undersurface is provided with re-stick adhesive.

To ensure good adhesion, an inner frame (not shown) may be provided within the bundle 6 so that it extends partially around the cigarettes 4 beneath the barrier material 5. The inner frame provides a reaction surface underneath the barrier material 5 against the resealing pressure exerted by the label 9 around the periphery of the extraction opening 7.

A region 10 (see Figure 2) of a lower front wall edge of the label 9, which may include a tab, is attached to the front wall 11 of the lid 2 so that the label 9 is peeled back to reveal the extraction opening 7 at the same time the lid 2 is opened. In particular, with the lid 2 in an open position, as shown in Figure 1 and 2, section 8 of the barrier material 5 is drawn back to reveal the extraction opening 7 and to enable a consumer to readily extract a cigarette 4 from the bundle 6. Although section 8 maybe removable, it will be appreciated that it may remain at least partially attached to the remainder of the barrier material 5 when the extraction opening 7 is revealed. A portion of the outer surface 12 of the label 9 is attached to the lid 2 using permanent adhesive so that it folds back relative to the remainder of the label 9 when the lid 2 is rotated into an open position (as most clearly seen in Figure 2).

When the lid 2 is pivoted about hinge 13 into its open position, the label 9 is peeled back or rolled away from the barrier material 5 together with the removable section 8. If the pack 1 is being opened for the first time, the removable region 8 may also separate from the remainder of the barrier material 5 along a line of weakening that separates the removable region 8 from the remainder of the barrier material 5, as the lid 2 is opened.

It will be appreciated that, when the lid 2 is rotated about the hinge 13 back into its closed position, the label 9 will roll back across the barrier material 5 and the removable region 8 of the barrier material 5 will re-position itself within the extraction opening 7. The peelable adhesive coating a peripheral region 14 of the label 9 will re- adhere to the barrier material 4 surrounding the extraction opening 6 to reseal the pack 1. The lid 2 comprises a front wall 14 and a lid front wall flap 15 which is folded relative to the front wall 14 substantially 180 degrees about a fold line‘F’ between the lid front wall 14 and the lid front wall flap 15 so that a rear face 16 of the lid front wall flap 15 lies against an inner face 17 of the lid front wall 14, leaving a front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15 exposed.

The rear face 16 of the lid front wall flap 15 maybe permanently adhered to the inner surface 17 of the lid front wall 14. By folding the lid front wall flap 15 about fold line F, print may be applied to an outer surface 19 of the lid front wall 14 and around the fold line F onto the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15. The outer surface of the label 9 is adhered to the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15.

The sheet of board material from which the lid and base are formed can have a metallised, or otherwise coated, external surface layer. This surface is the external surface visible to a consumer. For example, the board material maybe Transmet board, which is a film-free metallic laminate for paperboard that provides a print receptive coating to the base material in a bright metallic finish. Transmet laminate is manufactured by the API Group. Alternatively, the board material may be Metpol, which has a layer of metallisation coated with a polymer layer.

It will be understood that, as a result of folding the lid front wall flap 15 about the fold line‘F, the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15 to which the label 9 is adhered has the metallised, or otherwise coated, surface. This surface or coating has a low affinity or receptivity to adhesive, as the adhesive is unable to penetrate the material, or penetrate it sufficiently, to form a good bond. Both Transmet and Metpol boards suffer from this problem, as the external surface layer is non-porous and so does not readily absorb adhesive.

According to embodiments of the invention, the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15 is non-mechanically treated to increase its receptivity or affinity to adhesive thereby improving the bond between the lid front wall flap 15 and the label 9.

The non-mechanical treatment of the lid front wall flap 15 removes all, or some, of the surface layer or coating, to thereby expose the underlying board which has a much greater affinity for adhesive. The label 9 is therefore adhered to treated surface. It will be appreciated that the non-mechanical treatment may be carried out on all of the front face of the lid front wall flap. Alternatively it may be carried out on portions of it.

Treatment maybe carried out using a laser, such as a C0 ₂ laser. The laser 20 may have a power rating of lOoWatts and be operated within a range of 50% to 90% of its power to remove the surface layer or coating whilst causing little or no damage to the underlying board. The use of a laser is shown in Figure 4, in which a laser treatment unit 20 is shown, that emits a laser beam‘L’ towards the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15. If required, the laser may move. For example, the laser 20 may move as indicated by arrows marked‘X’ and Ύ in Figure 4. Otherwise, the laser treatment unit 20 may remain stationary and the lid front wall flap 15 may pass beneath it. The laser treatment unit 20 may be active for a short period of time sufficient to treat the lid front wall flap 15. For example, the laser treatment unit 20 may be operational for a period of time in the region of 0.5 seconds.

In alternative embodiments, the lid front wall flap 15 may be treated to remove a portion of the surface using a chemical or by using plasma. From Figure 4, it will be appreciated that treatment occurs after the lid front wall flap 15 has been folded against the inner surface 17 of the lid front wall 14 by a folding unit 21, and prior to the application of adhesive in an adhering unit 22 that applies adhesive to the treated front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15 and sticks the label 9 to the front face 18. However, it will be appreciated that the treatment may occur at any time or stage in the manufacturing or packaging process. For example, the non-mechanical treatment may be carried out prior to folding the lid front wall flap 15.

It will also be appreciated that only part of the lid front wall flap 15 may be treated, or the whole of the flap may be treated. The part of the lid front wall flap 15 which is treated may be treated such that all or only part of a surface layer or coating is removed.

In a preferred embodiment, treatment occurs in a packaging machine, during assembly of the pack after the folding unit 21 has folded the lid front wall flap 15 against the inner surface 17 of the lid front wall 14 but prior to any further folding of the sheet. Folding of the lid front wall flap 15 against the inner surface 17 of the lid front wall 14 is illustrated in Figure 3, and shows the lid front wall flap 15 being rotated, about the fold line F extending along a lower edge of the lid front wall 14, in the direction of arrow‘A’. Although the invention is primarily intended for removing a surface coating or layer from board material, it will be understood that the invention is also applicable to board that does not have a surface layer or coating, in order to remove any loose material or oxides and expose a fresh surface which will be more receptive to bonding. The label 9, which has a portion attached to the front face 18 of the lid front wall flap 15, maybe a separate element that is applied to the wrapped bundle 6. However, in an alternative embodiment, the barrier material 5 may be a laminate material. In this case, the label 9 may be integrally formed from the barrier material 5 and comprise one or more layers of the laminate.

As used herein, the term“tobacco industry product” is to be understood as including smoking articles comprising combustible smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own cigarettes, (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokable material), electronic smoking articles such as e-cigarettes, heating devices that release compounds from substrate materials without burning such as tobacco heating products; and hybrid systems to generate aerosol from a combination of substrate materials, for example hybrid systems containing a liquid or gel or solid substrate. In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a smoking article for combustion selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo and a cigar.

In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a non-combustible smoking article.

In one embodiment the tobacco industry product is a heating device which releases compounds by heating, but not burning, a substrate material. The material may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment the heating device is a tobacco heating device.

In another embodiment the tobacco industry product is a hybrid system to generate aerosol by heating, but not burning, a combination of substrate materials. The substrate materials may comprise for example solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel substrate and a solid substrate. The solid substrate may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel substrate and tobacco.

Embodiments of the invention are described with reference to tobacco industry products, for example cigarettes. However, it will be appreciated that methods and packs of the invention may alternatively be used for non-tobacco industry related products.

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) maybe practiced and provide a superior method of packaging a bundle of tobacco industry products, a method of increasing the receptivity of a sheet of board material, that has a surface layer or coating, to adhesive, to a pack comprising a bundle of tobacco industry products wrapped in a barrier material , and to a packaging machine for packaging a wrapped bundle of tobacco industry products. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/ or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and teach the claimed features. It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, 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, and that other embodiments may be utilised and

modifications maybe made without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the disclosure. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. In addition, the disclosure includes other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.