The invention relates to a package for elongated articles. In particular, the invention relates to a package for mechanical protection of elongated articles in the package .

There exist various packages for elongated articles. For example, there exist packages providing an insert arranged in an outer box. There also exist rigid packages, wherein the article in the rigid package is wrapped by an outer wrapper, for example a foil.

According to the invention there is provided a package for elongated articles. The package comprises a sheet-like pouch and an inner tray arranged inside the sheet-like pouch. The inner tray comprises an elongated seat for receiving at least one elongated article. The inner tray further comprises stabilizing flaps arranged next to the seat. The stabilizing flaps depend from the seat about weakening lines. The stabilizing flaps depend outwardly from the top of the seat.

A sheet-like pouch provides a simple and cost efficient package for elongated articles, preferably for single articles to be packed. Depending on a material used for the sheet-like pouch, protection relating to, for example, the environment may be realized. For example, a gas-tight material may protect the packed article from environmental influences such as humidity or oxidation. A chemically inert material or material layer may prevent a chemical reaction between article and pouch material. Thus, advantageously long term stability of the article is supported by appropriate selection of the material of the sheet-like pouch. By appropriate selection of the material of the pouch, also contamination of the article, for example by a person handling the packed article, may be prevented.

A sheet-like pouch made from a flexible material provides only limited mechanical protection for a packed consumer article or articles. In order to provide mechanical protection for packed articles, an inner tray is provided. The article is accommodated in a seat of the inner tray. Form and material of the inner tray advantageously increase the mechanical stability of the package. The inner tray of the package is preferably formed to provide mechanical protection in at least one dimension, preferably in two dimensions, more preferably in three dimensions. Thus, the inner tray preferably provides mechanical protection to the packed article or articles in at least one of height, width or length of the package.

An inner tray comprising a seat and simple stabilizing flaps provide a simple and cost efficient mechanical protection for elongated articles, preferably for single articles to be packed. Such an inner tray requires little material and may easily be adapted to a size or mechanical protection requirements of the article to be packed.

Providing weakening lines between seat and stabilizing flaps additionally simplifies manufacturing of the inner tray. In particular, cost efficient manufacturing processes such as folding of a blank may be used. In addition, weakening lines between seat and respective flap may act as hinges, which allow good adaption of the inner tray to a shape of a pouch, in particular to inner dimensions of a pouch .

Advantageously, an arrangement of inner tray and sheet ^¬ like pouch is selected and matched to each other such that the inner tray arranged in the pouch protects an article accommodated in the inner tray from a flattening or crushing. In particular, the risk of an article to be exposed to a vertical pressing force, for example due to storing a plurality of packages above each other or a package between other objects, may be limited by the inner tray of the package according to the invention.

The shape of inner tray and pouch, preferably the shape of a folded inner tray in the pouch, are such that a collapse of the inner tray within the pouch is prevented.

Advantageously, the arrangement of inner tray and sheet ^¬ like pouch supports the self-centering of the inner tray inside the pouch.

Preferably, inner dimensions of the pouch are adapted to the sizes of an inner tray such that the inner tray neatly fits into the pouch. Alternatively, the size of an inner tray is adapted to inner dimensions of a predefined pouch. Thus, inner length or inner width or preferably inner length and inner width of the sheet-like pouch and length, width or height of an inner tray are selected such that the inner tray accommodated in the pouch does little or not shift inside the pouch once positioned. Preferably, an inner tray may shift in the pouch less than 5 percent per millimeter in one dimension, more preferably less than 2 percent per millimeter .

Preferably, a width of a folded inner tray and a pouch is such that a collapse of the tray, in a vertical or in a lateral direction, more preferably in a vertical and lateral direction, is prevented.

In addition, inner length and inner width of the sheet- like pouch are preferably selected such that an article accommodated in the inner tray is slightly compressed or tightly held in the seat such as to not fall out of the seat of the inner tray and such as to not be displaced in the seat, for example in a length direction. A compressing force on an article in the tray may, for example, be between 0.5 Newton and 5 Newton.

The term "height" is used herein to refer to dimensions extending between the top and the bottom, that is, between a top sheet of the pouch and a bottom sheet of the pouch. The term "width" is used herein to refer to dimensions extending between two opposed sides. The term "length" is used herein to refer to dimensions extending between the front and the back or between other two opposed sides orthogonal to the two opposed sides forming the width. Height, width and length are orthogonal to each other.

The elongated article has a dimension longer than the other dimensions. This longer dimension is referred to as "length" of the article. The other two dimensions of the article are referred to as height and width. For articles having a circular, elliptical or also polygonal cross section, height and width correspond to the cross section of the article.

In some embodiments, the seat of the inner tray is arranged along a length of the package. An inner width of the sheet-like pouch may then be chosen to be smaller than a width of the inner tray before the inner tray is arranged in the pouch. The preferably only slightly smaller inner width of the pouch causes the inner tray to be slightly deformed, for example bent or compressed, upon insertion of the inner tray into the open pouch. The inner width of the pouch may for example be a few millimeter, for example 4 millimeter smaller than the width of the inner tray in its folded form before the tray is inserted into the pouch.

An exemplary inner width of a pouch may be 36 millimeter with a width of an inner tray between 40 millimeter and 50 millimeter. Another exemplary inner width of a pouch is 48 millimeter with a width of an inner tray between 55 millimeter and 65 millimeter.

Preferably, the slight deformation of the inner tray provides a secure fit of the inner tray in the pouch, at least in a width direction. Preferably, it also serves a precise positioning of the inner tray in the pouch. Preferably, it further provides additional mechanical stability to the seat the article is arranged in, for example based on the geometry of the inner tray. Yet further, it may secure one or several articles in the seat of the inner tray.

The seat may comprise at least two side walls. The stabilizing flaps may each depend from a respective side wall along a weakening line. A side wall may be formed from a single panel or may consist of several panels depending from each other. Preferably, a side wall comprises one to four panels. A bottom wall may be arranged between the at least two side walls. A bottom wall is typically arranged opposite the opening of the seat.

The seat may have various shapes, preferably adapted to the shape of the article or articles to be packed. For example, the seat may have a round shape or the shape of a polygon. Preferably, the shape of the seat is a polygon, for example made of several, for example three to seven panels. One to three of the panels may form a bottom wall of the seat. One to three panels may form a side wall. In particular, the seat may be U-shaped, for example forming an inverse tunnel where an elongated article may be placed in, such as for example a top open rectangle. The stabilizing flaps then extend substantially sideways from the top of the U-shaped seat. The seat having a specific shape is herein meant as the cross-section of the seat having the said shape.

Preferably, a stiffness of a seat, in particular the stiffness of side walls of a seat in an inner tray is such that a seat, in particular side walls of a seat, may deform around an article accommodated in the seat without deforming or crushing the article.

A flap may be formed from one single stabilizing flap or may consist of several or a series of partial flaps. Serial flaps preferably form a bellow that may be compressed when the inner tray is inserted in the sheet-like pouch or when the package is compresses sideways. Flaps in the forms of bellows stabilize the package in two dimensions, in a height and a width dimension.

When the inner tray is arranged inside the sheet-like pouch, a side wall and a stabilizing flap depending from the side wall may include a fold angle between about 45 degrees and about 135 degrees. Preferably, the fold angle is between 60 degrees and 120 degrees, more preferably, between 75 degrees and 105 degrees.

In a seat having a U-shaped profile, advantageously, the fold angle is smaller than 90 degree, preferably between 45 degrees and 85 degrees when the inner tray is arranged in the pouch.

A fold angle between stabilizing flaps and seat may enable a tight fit of the inner tray inside the pouch, and enable mechanically further stabilization of the inner tray. Variation of a fold angle may also allow to alternatively keeping an intended form of a seat or causing a deformation of the seat. In particular, deformation of the seat may comprise alteration of the position of the side walls of the seat. The latter preferably causes a desired and predefined compression force by the seat walls onto the article in the seat for holding the article safely in the seat.

The term "panel" is used herein to refer to a portion of the inner tray formed from a single, continuous portion of material. A panel may depend from one or more other panels.

The term "wall" refers more generally to a facet of the inner tray, and a wall may be formed from a single panel, or a wall may be formed from two or more panels depending from each other.

The term "depending" is used herein to describe a physical connection between two elements of a package or element of the package. In more detail, the term "depending" is used to indicate that there is a material continuity between two elements, such as two walls or panels of an inner tray or blank. A side wall or panel may depend directly from an adjacent panel or flap. In such case, the wall or panel typically depends along a weakening line or along a fold line from the adjacent wall or panel.

Preferably, an inner tray is a very simple tray consisting of a bottom wall, two side walls and two flaps depending from the side walls.

The inner tray may be formed from a sheet-like material blank, for example, cardboard, metal sheet, plastics material, or combinations thereof such as, for example, metalized cardboard, plastic cardboard laminate, plastic metal laminate or metal-plastic-coextrudate .

Preferably, the inner tray is folded cardboard, folded cardboard laminate, folded metal-plastic-coextrudate or folded plastic metal laminate. Preferably, the folding of the blank occurs along weakening lines.

Preferably, the inner tray mainly comprises cardboard or another fibrous material, for example at least 80 percent or at least 90 percent.

The inner tray may, for example be folded from a sheet ^¬ like material blank. The sheet-like material blank is provided with lines of weakness defining folding lines along which the blank is to be folded to form the inner tray.

The term "lines of weakness" is used herein to describe a portion of a surface of the package (or the blank from which the package is formed) wherein the structural strength of the material, from which the package (or blank) is formed has been weakened by any suitable technique, for example with respect to bending, folding or tearing along the line of weakness. For example, a line of weakness may be formed as a scoring line, a creasing line, an ablation line, or a perforation line. Lines of weakness can be created by removal of material, by displacement of material, by compression of material, by locally reducing the forces that hold the material together, such as by breaking fibres in a fibrous material, as well as by combinations of all the above. A line of weakness may be straight, curved, segmented or continuous or a combination thereof. In many instances, a line of weakness is used to assist in positioning a fold line in a blank. A line of weakness can also be used to strengthen the material in a direction perpendicular to the line of weakness, for example by compression. Further, a line of weakness can be used for decorative purpose.

The term "scoring line" is used to describe a line formed by partially cutting into the material of the blank. A scoring line may be formed by removing material from the blank (in which case the scoring line forms a groove or trough in the blank) . As an alternative, a scoring line may be formed without removing any material from the blank, typically involving a partial sideways displacement and compression of material, caused by a knife with a non-zero thickness penetrating the material. The depth of the scoring line will be less than the thickness of the blank.

The term "creasing line" is used to describe a line formed by displacing a portion of the material vertical to the plane of the blank, forming a groove or trough in the blank. The displacement may involve compression and typically involves the use of a compression tool, such as a roller. Alternatively, or in addition, the material in the creasing line may be displaced so as to at least partially protrude from the opposite side of the blank. Generally, no material is removed when a creasing line is formed.

The term "ablation line" is used to describe a line formed by removing material from a surface of the blank to a predetermined depth by way of ablation (for example, by way of a laser beam or a blade) .

The term "perforated line" is used to describe a line or sequence of discrete holes or slots in the blank. The holes may be formed by pushing an object through the blank. This may result in material being removed from the blank, for example by punching. Alternatively, the holes could be created without removing material, and instead simply using the object to push the material outwardly from the centre of the hole. As another alternative, the holes may be formed by way of a laser beam.

The term "fold line" is used to describe any line of a blank about which the blank is folded. The fold line may be defined by a line of weakness to assist with the folding action. Alternatively, a fold can be formed without the presence of a weakening line. In such embodiments, a fold line is typically defined by the end points between the fold forms when bending the sheet like material, depending for example on the pliability of the blank material and other material characteristics.

Preferably, the sheet-like pouch is sealed and made of an air-tight, inert sheet material, inert against environmental influences. The material of the pouch may, for example, be a plastic laminate or a metal plastic laminate.

The pouch may be manufactured by folding a piece of sheet material onto itself closing all edges except one, for example closing two edges, and forming an open pouch. After insertion of the inner tray and the article into the pouch, a last edge, for example a third edge, of the pouch may be closed. The pouch may, for example, also be manufactured by laying two pieces of sheet material on top of each other and joining the two pieces along all but one edge, for example along three edges. A closing is preferably performed by sealing, for example heat sealing. For mass production of packed articles, a web of sealable pouch material may be formed around a continuous flow of inner trays. The individual inner trays are then separated by sealing the sealable material in between the inner trays. The inner trays or the flaps of the inner trays may be compressed before closing the pouch around the inner tray.

Preferably, the package according to the invention comprises three sealed edges.

The package according to the invention may comprise one or several, for example two, three or four elongated articles accommodated in the seat of the inner tray.

Preferably, the package comprises only one elongated article accommodated in the seat of the inner tray.

Preferably, an elongated article has the form of a stick.

Preferably, an elongated article has a substantially circular cross section. Preferably, an elongated article is an article that is compressible .

An elongated article may be a smoking article such as, for example, a cigarette or cigar. The elongated article may be a heatable aerosol-generating article such as, for example, a heat not burn stick that is known to be used in electronic heating devices. The elongated article may be a writing utensil such as, for example, a pencil, crayon or pen .

Preferably, the elongated article is a smoking article such as a cigarette or cigar.

A height of the seat of the inner tray may at least be as large as a height or diameter of the elongated article accommodated in the seat .

The height of the seat may be larger than the height or diameter of the elongated article accommodated in the seat. The one or more side walls may have a height such that the two stabilizing flaps contact each other along the weakening lines when the inner tray including the article is arranged in the sheet-like pouch.

The height of the seat may be large enough such that, for example, topmost panels of each of the side walls contact each other (next to the weakening line between a side wall and the respective flap) when the inner tray is arranged in the sheet-like pouch.

A contacting of parts of the inner tray may provide further mechanical stability to the inner tray. A contacting of the two flaps at the weakening lines provides additional stability in a width direction of the package. Contact via weakening lines may transfer load between the flaps directly rather than via an article accommodated in the tray.

Contacting panels of the side wall of the seat additionally provide mechanical stability in the direction of the height of the package.

When the inner tray is arranged in the sheet-like pouch, the inner tray may be formed such that a distance between weakening lines of the side walls and the respective stabilizing flaps of the inner tray is smaller, larger or the same than a width or diameter of the elongated article. If the distance between the two weakening lines is larger than the article, an insertion and removal of the article into and from the seat is facilitated. If the distance is smaller than the width of the article, the article is kept in the seat by the seat itself independent on the size of a sheet-like pouch and also otherwise independent on the width of the seat.

The distance between weakening lines may be smaller than the width of the seat, already before or only after insertion of the tray into the pouch.

A seat, preferably a bottom wall of the seat, may have a width which corresponds to or is larger than a width or a diameter of the article to be packaged. Thus, a seat may have a width that is substantially the same as a width or diameter of an article accommodated in the seat or that is larger than the width of the article. Preferably, a seat, or a bottom wall of the seat, has a width that corresponds to a width or a diameter of the elongated article. By adapting the width of the seat to substantially the width of an article, preferably the seat provides a tight fit for the article. Preferably, the width of a seat is the same as a width or diameter of an article in the seat.

Depending on the shape of the seat, a side wall may form part of the bottom wall and vice versa.

Preferably, side walls contact an article in the seat of the inner tray, thereby securing the article in the tray. Side walls may be deformed around an article when the inner tray is arranged in the pouch. Such a deformation generally increases the contact area between side walls and article thereby reducing pressure on the article and preventing damage to the article. Where a height of a seat is larger than a height or diameter of the article in the seat, deformation of the seat around the article may allow side walls and flaps to contact each other along the weakening lines .

Preferably, the height of a seat is larger than the height or diameter of at least one elongated article accommodated in the seat such that the stabilizing flaps may contact each other along the weakening lines. The stabilizing flaps may then contact each other along the weakening lines when the inner tray is arranged in the pouch without additional external forces acting on the package or only after external forces act on the package. By this, the contacting flaps additionally stabilize the package.

Preferably, the stabilizing flaps contact each other along the weakening lines when the inner tray is arranged in the pouch.

Preferably, a ratio between the width of the flaps of an inner tray (sum of width of the flaps) and the width of the seat of the inner tray, for example a width of a bottom wall of the seat, is at least 2, more preferably at least 3. For example the ratio between the width of the flaps and the width of the seat is in a range between 2 and 4 or in a range between 3 and 4.

Preferably, a ratio between the width of the flaps of an inner tray (sum of width of the flaps) and the width or diameter of an article accommodated in the seat of the inner tray is at least 2, preferably at least 3, for example is in a range between 2 to 4 or in a range between 3 and 4.

Preferably, a ratio between the width of the flaps of an inner tray (sum of width of the flaps) and the inner width of a pouch where the inner tray is arranged in, is in a range between 0.3 and 0.9, more preferably in a range between 0.5 and 0.8. For example, the ratio between width of flaps and width of inner pouch is larger than 0.5, preferably larger than 0.6, for example 0.65.

Preferably, a length of the seat is adapted to a length of at least one elongated article accommodated in the seat.

Preferably, a length of the seat corresponds to the length of the at least one elongated article. The term ^corresponding' is in this respect meant that the length of the seat is equal to or is the same as the length of the elongated article. However, ^corresponding to' is also meant that the length may be slightly, for example a few tenths of a millimeter to a few millimeter, for example 0.5 to 5 millimeter, larger that the length of the elongated article to be accommodated in the seat of the inner tray.

In an alternative, the length of the seat is longer than the article. Preferably, the seat is then provided with end stops for preventing a longitudinal movement of the article in the seat. Preferably, end stops are provided at either (longitudinal) end of the seat. End stops may be formed as protrusions extending into the seat. Preferably, end stops are, for example, precut pop-up pieces in a material blank forming the inner tray.

The invention is further described with regard to embodiments, which are illustrated by means of the following drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a cigarette arranged in inner tray;

Fig. 2 shows a sheet-like pouch and inner tray; Fig. 3 shows the inner tray partly inserted into the pouch of Fig 2;

Fig. 4 is a view into the pouch;

Fig. 5 shows a material blank for an inner tray;

Figs. 6-13 show various embodiments of inner trays;

Fig. 14,15 shows an inner tray with longitudinal end stops

(Fig. 14) and a blank for forming an inner tray with end stops (Fig. 15).

The inner tray 2 of Fig. 1 is made of a rectangular sheet material, for example cardboard. The inner tray 2 comprises a top open rectangular or U-shaped seat 20 and a cigarette 3 arranged in the seat 20. The length of the seat 20 and of the inner tray 2 corresponds to the length of the cigarette 3. Two stabilizing flaps 25 depend each from the side walls 202 of the seat directing outwardly from the top of the seat. Side wall 202 of the seat 20 and flap 25 include a fold angle of 90 degree, at least before the inner tray is inserted into a pouch. In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 the inner tray 2 provided with a cigarette 3 is shown arranged next to a sheet-like pouch 1 and partly inside the pouch. The pouch 1 is made of sheet material, for example a metalized cardboard laminate. The pouch 1 is sealed, for example heat sealed, on three sides 10. One longitudinal side is left open for insertion of the inner tray 2 and the cigarette 3 to be packed. When inserted into the pouch as may be seen in Fig. 4, the inner tray 2 neatly fits into the pouch 1. The pouch is formed by a top sheet 12 and a bottom sheet 11, which are sealed at the sides 10.

The flaps 25 of the inner tray extend over the entire inner width of the pouch. The flaps 25 are slightly bent such that each flap 25 and side wall 202 of the seat include a fold angle 4, which fold angle is smaller than 90 degree, for example 60 degree. This bending of the inner tray when being arranged inside the pouch positions and fixes the inner tray in the pouch. A further lateral pushing of the flaps versus each other, for example by smaller inner pouch dimensions, may lead to a slight pushing of the side walls 202 of the inner tray against the cigarette 3 in the seat. This additionally holds the cigarette in the seat. In this example, the bottom wall 201 of the seat has a width, which substantially corresponds to the diameter of the cigarette 3.

The inner tray 3 may be folded out of a material blank 26 as for example shown in Fig. 5. The material blank 26 is provided with longitudinal fold lines 260, preferably all weakening lines for simplifying a folding of the blank into a U-shaped seat having a bottom wall 201 and two side walls 202 as well as two stabilizing flaps 25 sideways depending from the side walls 202.

Exemplary data for the material blank 26 for packing a cigarette are:

Length: 47 millimeter; width: 58 millimeter; flap width: 15.5 millimeter; side wall width: 9 millimeter; bottom wall width: 9 millimeter.

In Figs. 6 to 13 various shapes and embodiments of inner trays and packaging examples of articles are shown.

The inner tray of Fig. 6 comprises a seat 20 having a round shape and two sideways extending stabilizing flaps 25. An inner tray having a round seat is preferably made of plastic, metal or plastic or metal containing materials.

In Fig. 7 the seat is basically U-shaped but in the form of a polygon. The seat comprises a bottom wall 201 which is made of three panels. A fold angle 4 between seat side walls 202 and the flaps 25 is depicted as 90 degree in Figs. 6 and 7. When the inner trays are inserted into the pouch, this fold angle 4 may be diminished depending on the relative dimension of inner width of the pouch and the width of the inner tray.

In Fig. 8 the seat has the form of an open regular triangle and is made of two side walls 202 only. The open seat simplifies a filling of the seat as well as a removal of the article 3 out of the seat. A holding of the article in the seat may be provided by a tight pouch, thus by a pouch top sheet 12 covering and closing the top opening of the seat.

In Fig. 9 the seat has substantially the form of a square standing on an edge and being made of two bottom walls 201 and two side walls 202. The top opening of the seat is almost or completely closed by the side walls 202. Thereby the flaps 25 may be distanced from each other or contact each other along the weakening lines. Fig. 10 shows a variant of Fig. 9, wherein the side walls 202 each comprise two panels. The upper panels closer to the opening of the seat reduce the width of the opening. Depending on the size of the seat, for example the height of the side walls, compared to the size of the article, the flaps may contact each other at the weakening lines for additional stabilizing action.

In Fig. 11 the seat of the inner tray has the form of a triangle that may be substantially closed on the top when arranged in a pouch. The triangle-shaped seat accommodates three tubular shaped articles 3. The articles are stacked like a pyramid on the bottom wall 201 of the seat and parallel to the side walls 202 of the seat. The form of the triangle automatically preforms a retaining action onto the articles in the seat and at least an additional lateral stabilization when the flap contact each other at the weakening lines. Fig. 12 shows an inner tray with a seat 20 in the form of a triangle accommodating one article. One side wall panel 203 each depends from the side wall panels forming the sides of the triangle. The two depending panels 203 contact each other, close the seat to the top and further stabilize the inner tray.

In Fig. 13 an inner tray 2 having a U-shaped seat 20 is arranged in a pouch 1. The inner tray comprises stabilizing flaps 25 in the form of bellows. The flaps extend to the sealed sides 10 of the pouch 1. Preferably, top sheet 12 and bottom sheet 11 of the pouch form an envelope for the inner tray, in particular for the flaps 25. The bellows formed by the flaps may absorb transversal compression such that the article in the seat is further mechanically protected in a lateral or width direction.

A material blank for an inner tray having flaps in the form of bellows is provided with weakening lines between side wall and dependent flap. The folding of the flaps for forming the bellows may be facilitated by providing weakening lines at every fold.

Fig. 14 shows a detail of an inner tray with a seat 20 having longitudinal end stops 27. The end stops 27 prevent an article arranged in the seat to move out of the seat in a longitudinal direction. The end stops 27 may be formed of the sheet material of the inner tray, for example as push-outs from the material. Fig. 15 shows a material blank for an inner tray where end stops are provided in the blank. The end stops are formed by partial cuts 270 in the blank and additional fold lines 271, for example weakening lines, supporting the folding of the end stops.