FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to tobacco pouches for loose tobacco, and particularly to using a foldable flap of a tobacco pouch as a rolling surface for rolling a cigarette.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Flexible tobacco pouches may be made from a wide range of materials. Plastic films or other combinations of similar flexible materials may be used by tobacco companies for the tobacco pouches. The tobacco pouches may comprise a flexible closure flap, and smokers may use the closure flap as a rolling surface on top of which to roll the tobacco. However, packaging process of the tobacco package may create a deformation, in the form of a fold, to the flexible closure flap. Because of this packaging fold, the closure flap may tend to retract and fold back to its original position, and preparing a cigarette on the rolling surface may be difficult. As a result, many smokers use their fingers or an object, such as a lighter or a mobile phone etc., to keep the rolling surface straight once the tobacco package is opened.

BRIEF DISCLOSURE

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for implementing the method so as to alleviate the above disadvantages. The objects of the invention are achieved by a method and an arrangement which are characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the de- pendent claims.

The method originates initially by a desire to reinforce the tobacco pouches in a section (which, from now on, we will call rolling surface) where smokers usually roll the cigarette, in order to obtain a more stable and flat surface on which to be able to roll the loose tobacco and which will be easily fold- able to re-close the tobacco package once the rolling operation has been completed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following the invention will be described in greater detail by means of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows an exemplary flexible tobacco pouch according to the present disclosure;

Figure 2 shows exemplary reinforcing means that are covered by a coating material;

Figure 3 shows exemplary reinforcing strips positioned perpendicularly or transversally to a natural fold of tobacco package foil;

Figure 4 shows exemplary reinforcing strips attached to the foldable closure flap of a tobacco pouch;

Figure 5 shows exemplary self-adhesive reinforcing strips according to the present disclosure comprising a reinforcing means covered with a coating material and an adhesive tape with a peel tab;

Figure 6 shows an exemplary assembly according to the present disclosure comprising a tobacco pouch for loose tobacco with a foldable closure flap and two self-adhesive reinforcing strips;

Figure 7 shows an exemplary tobacco pouch according to the present disclosure with self-adhesive reinforcing strips attached on top of a closure flap;

Figure 8 shows an exemplary reinforcing strip comprising a reinforcing means made of a ductile and flexible material covered in plastic or other soft materials;

Figure 9 shows an exemplary self-adhesive reinforcing strip according to the present disclosure covered with a protective foil;

Figure 10 shows a situation where a protective foil is being removed from a reinforcing strip before applying the reinforcing strip onto the foldable flap; and

Figure 1 1 shows an exemplary tobacco pouch according to the present disclosure with reinforcing means extending from a foldable closure flap to a portion of the tobacco pouch forming a container for tobacco.

DETAILED DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure describes a method for reinforcing a flexible closure flap of a tobacco pouch for loose tobacco. The present disclosure further describes a tobacco pouch comprising a foldable closure flap and reinforc- ing means implementing the method. The present disclosure also describes a self-adhesive reinforcing strip for implementing the method, and an assembly comprising the reinforcing strip.

Depending on the tobacco company, the tobacco pouch may be made from a wide range of materials. For example, plastic films or other com- binations of similar and flexible materials used by the tobacco companies for the packaging of the RYO (Roll Your Own) tobacco flexible pouches.

In order to a make more practical the rolling tobacco package for smokers, reinforcing means (e.g. a ductile metal wire) can be inserted during the production of the packaging material for the loose tobacco packages, di- rectly in between the materials that compose the tobacco packaging foil itself. In this case, since the reinforcing means have already been inserted by the producer between the foils that compose the tobacco package rolling surface, the consumers will purchase a ready-to-use product. Figure 1 shows an exemplary flexible tobacco pouch according to the present disclosure. A foldable closure flap in Figure 1 forms a rolling surface A when unfolded. Figure 1 shows reinforcing means c positioned in between materials that compose the tobacco packaging foil.

In another embodiment of a reinforcing method according the present disclosure, the method may comprise placing at least one reinforcing strip made of a ductile and flexible material, that can be stretched or bent without breakage (and that we call the reinforcing means) covered by a coating material, perpendicularly or transversally to the natural folding of the tobacco package foil in order to avoid that the part on which usually smokers roll their own cigarettes, i.e. the rolling surface, from folding back. Figure 2 shows an exem- plary reinforcing strip formed by reinforcing means c that are covered by a coating material b. Figure 3 shows exemplary reinforcing strips d positioned, according to the present disclosure, essentially perpendicularly to the natural fold a of foil of a tobacco package.

With this method, once the tobacco package is opened and the rein- forcing strips have been straightened, the rolling surface will remain in a stable and straight position, thus obtaining a steady enough rigid base on which to work the loose tobacco and roll the cigarette. With this method, after having used the straightened rolling surface to roll the cigarette, it will be easy, due to the ductile and flexible properties of the reinforcing strips, to fold back the package into its closed position. Figure 4 shows exemplary reinforcing strips attached, according to the present disclosure, to the foldable closure flap of a tobacco pouch. In Figure 4, the foldable closure flap has been unfolded to form a rolling surface. Figure 4 further shows a portion B of the tobacco pouch forming a container for tobacco e. In Figure 4, the foldable closure flap is provided with two reinforcing strips d attached transversal ly across the fold in the clo- sure flap. With the ductile reinforcing strips, the foldable closure flap forms a rolling surface A for rolling loose tobacco e.

In one embodiment of a method according to the present disclosure, the reinforcing strips can be placed by the factory directly onto the tobacco package rolling surface using adhesive system, gluing materials, hot-melt glu- ing or other adhesive systems.

In another embodiment, ready-to-stick (i.e. self-adhesive) reinforcing strips can be placed, by the factory, on a surface of a lower portion of a tobacco package (i.e. on a surface of a portion of the tobacco pouch forming a container for tobacco) during the packaging process phases with the use of an adhesive tape which provides an adhesive surface for the self-adhesive reinforcing strip. The adhesive tape may be furnished with a lifting tab (i.e. a peel tab) that will serve to lift the reinforcing strip which may be composed of a ductile and flexible material, e.g. thin metal wire covered with a coating material and placed by the consumer on the rolling surface.

Figure 5 shows an exemplary self-adhesive reinforcing strip h according to the present disclosure comprising a reinforcing strip d and an adhesive tape g attached to the reinforcing strip d. The reinforcing strip d comprises reinforcing means c covered with a coating material b. Alternatively, the self- adhesive reinforcing strip may comprise the reinforcing means without coating material. The adhesive tape g is furnished with a peel tab f to facilitate peeling off the self-adhesive reinforcing strip. The adhesive tape g in Figure 5 is longer and wider than the reinforcing strip d, and the reinforcing strip d is positioned underneath the adhesive tape g. When attached to the foldable closure flap with the adhesive tape g, the self-adhesive reinforcing strip h reinforce a folda- ble closure flap of a tobacco pouch for loose tobacco, such that the foldable closure flap, in its unfolded state, forms a stable rolling surface for rolling a tobacco.

Figure 6 shows an exemplary assembly an assembly according to the present disclosure comprising a tobacco pouch for loose tobacco with a foldable closure flap A and two self-adhesive reinforcing strips h as shown in Figure 5. In Figure 6, the self-adhesive reinforcing strips h are attached to a portion B of the tobacco pouch forming a container for tobacco e in order to be removed and attached onto the foldable closure flap forming a rolling surface. The final consumer will simply have to lift the adhesive tape, underneath which is stuck the reinforcing strip and position it onto the rolling surface to be rein- forced. Figure 7 shows an example of a tobacco pouch with self-adhesive reinforcing strips h of Figure 5 attached on top of a closure flap A. Each of the self- adhesive reinforcing strips h comprises an adhesive tape and is attached to the closure flap A with the adhesive tape.

In another embodiment, to stick the reinforcing strip on the loose to- bacco flexible pouch, instead of adhesive tape, can also be used gluing material, hot-melt gluing method, silicon based materials or other similar systems.

Furthermore, in yet another embodiment, the reinforcing strip or strips, using a system of two-sided adhesive tape or gluing material systems, can also be simply placed as loose parts, directly inside the ready-to-sell to- bacco flexible packages, rolling paper packages, cigarette filters packages and other tobacco associated products, and placed onto the rolling surface by the consumers themselves. In this case, the reinforcing strip, made of a ductile and flexible material covered in plastic or other soft materials to make the strip as safe as possible, will have an adhesive surface fully covered by a protective foil which will be easily removed by the consumer before applying the reinforcing strip (or strips) onto the surface to be straightened and intended for rolling the tobacco. Figure 8 shows an exemplary reinforcing strip comprising a reinforcing means c made of a ductile and flexible material covered in plastic or other soft materials b to make the strip as safe as possible. However, the rein- forcing means can also be implemented without the coating.

The reinforcing strip may be provided with a two-sided adhesive tape, for example. One surface of the two-sided adhesive tape may be attached to reinforcing strip. The other surface of the two-sided adhesive tape provides the adhesive surface for the self-adhesive reinforcing strip. It may have a protective foil to be removed before applying the strip onto a foldable closure flap of a tobacco pouch. Figure 9 shows an example of such a self- adhesive reinforcing strip with its adhesive surface covered with a protective foil / ^' . Figure 10 shows a situation where the protective foil / is being removed (thus revealing the adhesive surface of the self-adhesive reinforcing strip) be- fore applying the self-adhesive reinforcing strip onto the foldable flap.

In yet another embodiment according to the present disclosure, a tobacco pouch may be provided with the reinforcing means that extend from the foldable closure flap to a portion of the tobacco pouch forming a container for tobacco. In this manner, a stable rolling surface can be achieved even when the tobacco pouch is in an upright position (e.g. when a smoker is rolling a cigarette while standing).

Figure 1 1 shows an exemplary tobacco pouch according to the present disclosure. The tobacco pouch comprises two reinforcing means c that extend from the foldable closure flap (forming a rolling surface A) to the back surface of a portion B of the tobacco pouch forming a container for tobacco. The reinforcing means c are positioned perpendicularly to folds a of the tobacco pouch. The reinforcing means c are bent to an angle at an area k of the pouch connecting the closure flap forming the rolling surface A and the portion B containing tobacco. In this manner, the rolling surface is at an angle with respect to the portion B containing tobacco.

In Figure 1 1 , the reinforcing means are in the form of metal wires that have been positioned in between materials that compose the tobacco packaging foil. However, the reinforcing means may also be in the form of at least one self-adhesive reinforcing strip comprising the reinforcing means, for example. A self-adhesive reinforcing strip may be in the implemented in the same way as described in previous paragraphs. In addition, the length of the self-adhesive reinforcing strip may be adapted such that, when attached to the foldable closure flap, the self-adhesive reinforcing strip extends from the foldable closure flap to a portion of the tobacco pouch forming a container for tobacco. The self-adhesive reinforcing strip may be applied to the closure flap and to a surface of portion containing tobacco by the consumer, for example.

It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.