Pouch for a Cigarette Paper Booklet, Cigarette Paper Dispenser, Blank for Manufacturing a Pouch and Method of Manufacturing a Pouch FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a pouch for a cigarette paper booklet and to a cigarette paper dispenser comprising a pouch and a cigarette paper booklet. The invention further relates to a blank for manufacturing a pouch for a cigarette paper booklet and to a method of manufacturing a pouch for a cigarette paper booklet. BACKGROUND

Cigarette paper for hand-rolling cigarettes is available in booklets that contain a plurality of individual paper sheets. For reasons of comfort the booklets are stored in cigarette paper dispensers which are generally known in the art. A cigarette paper dispenser usually comprises a box containing a stack of cigarette papers and a folding lid coupled to the box by a hinge. Each of the cigarette papers can be retrieved separately from the box through a slot through which a free end of the top one of the cigarette papers extends.

EP 1 651 066 A2, for example, discloses a cigarette paper dispenser for storing and supplying small sheets of cigarette paper for self-made cigarettes. Said cigarette paper dispenser comprises a box containing at least one stack of small sheets of cigarette paper. The top layer of said stack extends through a slot that is allocated to the stack and is located on the top face of the box. A flap lid which covers the slot located on the top face of the box in the closed state is hinged to the box. The small covering sheet of the stack, i.e. the small sheet placed on top in the new state of the cigarette paper dispenser, is embodied in a manner that is different from the other small sheets of the stack. The flap lid is fixed, preferably glued, to the box in the new state of the cigarette paper dispenser such that said flap lid cannot be lifted up.

It is generally desirable for smokers to protect their cigarette papers from moisture, splash water, dust and dirt. The cigarette paper dispensers known in the art are usually made from blanks of thick paper or thin cardboard which are folded according to complex patterns. These materials can only offer limited protection. Producing a cigarette paper dispenser from other materials in the same manner, however, would make the manufacturing process more complicated and increase the production costs because not many suitable materials can be folded like paper or carton and other production methods like plastic moulding require expensive machines. Irrespective of that, the lids of the known dispensers usually do not provide an all-round coverage of the dispenser. GB 2 208 350 A shows a tobacco pouch including a first compartment for storing tobacco and a second compartment for storing a packet of cigarette papers. The packet is inserted through a first slot, and the papers are sequentially obtained through a second slot. The first slot is closed by an adhesive strip.

SUMMARY It is an object of the invention to better protect the cigarette papers contained in a cigarette paper booklet at reasonable costs.

According to an aspect of the invention, a pouch for at least one cigarette paper booklet comprising at least one stack of paper sheets is provided. The overall dimensions of the pouch are adapted to the overall dimensions of the paper booklet(s). The pouch is made from or coated with a splash-proof material. The pouch provides a compartment for accommodation of at least one cigarette paper booklet. The paper booklet can be only a stack of paper sheets, a stack of paper sheets including an open tray partially encompassing the stack of paper sheets or a box entirely encompassing the stack of paper sheets except for a slit for retrieving separate paper sheets from the stack inside the box, for example. Accordingly, the term booklet does not necessarily imply that there are additional walls around the stack of paper sheets inside the compartment. The paper sheets in the stack of paper sheets are advantageously interleaved. This provides that a subsequent paper sheet is at least partially pulled out of a slot/slit when the preceding paper is removed. The compartment of the pouch has a slot formed in an upper portion through which a top sheet of the cigarette paper booklet can extend. The pouch further comprises a lid for covering the slot. The lid has means for being releasably attached to a surface of the pouch. The compartment for the paper booklet is permanently closed on all sides except for the slot. The compartment for the paper booklet can be permanently closed and sealed on all sides except for the slot. This can be done by a permanent adhesive or welding. Permanent adhesives are adhesives that cannot be repeatedly released and resealed without significant loss of adhesion strength. The same applies to welding. The lid can be attached to the pouch by a non-permanent adhesive. Non- permanent adhesives can be released and resealed without significant loss of adhesion strength for a number of at least five release-and-reseal cycles, or at least ten release-and-reseal cycles or at least twenty release-and-reseal cycles. The skilled person is well aware of suitable permanent and non-permanent adhesives that can be used. Exemplary embodiments of non-permanent adhesives to be used herein include pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA). The pouch according to the invention closely surrounds the paper booklet since its overall dimensions are adapted to the overall dimensions of the paper booklet(s). This means that the pouch is only dedicated to the one or more paper booklets (or only one, two or more stacks of paper sheets) and is not intended to accommodate anything in addition, like loose tobacco. Due to its splash-proof material the pouch protects the paper booklet effectively from splash water, moisture, dirt and dust. It is to be noted that water, dirt, etc. cannot reach the paper sheets through the slots in the upper portion of the pouch through which the individual paper sheets are accessible since the lid of the pouch - in its closed position - covers the slot. However, since the lid is releasably attached to a surface of the pouch, the user can open and close the lid as often as he/she wants to retrieve a paper sheet and to protect the paper booklet afterwards, respectively. According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, at least all portions of the pouch except for the means for being releasably attached to a surface of the pouch are parts of a single blank. This means that either the entire pouch or the entire pouch except for the attaching means is made from one blank without any further substantial portions of the pouch being connected to the one blank. Using basically a single component for manufacturing the pouch facilitates the assembly process of the pouch - there is no need to connect different components and to seal corresponding connections, for example - and is also advantageous with respect to transport and storage prior to the assembly.

According to a very simple design of the blank, the upper portion, the bottom portion and preferably also the lid have very similar dimensions with respect to opposite first and second long sides and opposite first and second short sides. Such a blank with three basically identically adjoining rectangles is easy to cut from larger material sheets or rolls, and the folding lines between the respective portions can easily be determined. Preferably, the compartment for the paper booklet is sealed, advantageously permanently sealed on all sides except for the slot(s). Such a configuration ensures that the possible entry sites for water, dirt etc. are reduced to the necessary minimum, i. e. the slots through which the paper sheets are extracted by the user. In a preferred embodiment the means for being releasably attached to a surface of the pouch is an adhesive label, advantageously non-permanently attached adhesive label protruding from the lid. Adhesive labels have been proven in other applications to be a comfortable and effective solution for repeated opening and closing of openings. The adhesive label may be a separate component attached to the lid, or it may be an extension that is integrally formed with the lid.

According to a preferred design of the pouch, the lid is pivotable around a folding line which extends along a lateral side of the compartment, the adhesive label protruding from the side of the lid facing away from the folding line. Placing the adhesive label at the far side from the "hinge" of the lid facilitates the handling when the lid is opened and closed.

In order to prevent any interference with the sheets of the paper booklet the adhesive label should not be located close to the slot(s) in the upper portion of the pouch when the lid is closed. Therefore, according to a preferred configuration, the lid extends over the entire length of the upper portion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slot(s) so that the adhesive label and can be releasably attached to an outer surface of a bottom portion of the pouch opposite to the upper portion.

The splash-proof material of the pouch can be polyethylene (PE) and/or oriented polypropylene (OPP), for example. These materials can readily be sealed by welding or glueing, for example. Other flexible water-repellent materials may be suitable as well.

The present invention also provides a blank for manufacturing the pouch described above. The blank according to the invention comprises three adjacent rectangular portions corresponding to the upper portion, the bottom portion and the lid.

According to a favorable simple design of the blank, a first folding line corresponds to a common long side of the upper portion and the bottom portion and a second folding line corresponds to the common long side of the bottom portion and the lid. This means that the bottom portion of the pouch corresponds to a middle section of the blank which is adjoined at one long side by the upper portion which is to be folded onto the bottom portion and at the opposite long side by the lid which is to be folded onto the upper portion afterwards.

As mentioned before, it is desirable that, maybe except for the adhesive label, no further components in addition to the single blank be used for manufacturing the pouch. This concept requires that certain portions of the blank are folded and connected to other portions of the blank. Following this concept, it is further desirable to only have a minimum of connection sites. The number of connection sites can be reduced to a total of three in a design where the upper portion has three attachment zones extending along the edges of three free sides of the upper portion, and the bottom portion has three corresponding attachment zones extending along the edges of two free sides of the bottom portion and the side of the bottom portion adjacent to the lid.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing the pouch described above from the blank described above. According to an aspect of the invention, the method comprises the step of sealing the attachment zones of the upper portion and the corresponding attachment zones of the bottom portion with each other. The sealing can be performed by welding or glueing, for example, without the need of additional components for forming the pouch.

According to a very simple, quick and effective way of manufacturing the pouch, the upper portion is folded around the first folding line so that the attachment zones of the upper portion rest on the corresponding attachment zones of the bottom portion, before the step of sealing is performed.

The paper booklet can be placed on the bottom portion before the step of sealing is performed, and preferably before the step of folding.

As an alternative, the paper booklet can be placed between the upper portion and the bottom portion before the step of sealing is performed. In order to finish the manufacturing of the pouch the lid should be folded around the second folding line so that it rests on the upper portion. Thereafter, the adhesive label can be laid around the first folding line and attached to an outer surface of the bottom portion so that the slot(s) in the upper portion are covered by the lid but not affected by the adhesive label.

The present invention also provides a cigarette paper dispenser comprising the pouch described above, preferably manufactured as described above from the blank described above According to an aspect of the invention, the cigarette paper dispenser further comprises a cigarette paper booklet that is accommodated in the compartment of the pouch.

The paper booklet may include only a single stack of paper sheets or several stacks of paper sheets. The compartment of the pouch can then have a slot for each stack of paper sheets so that a paper sheet can be retrieved from any of the stacks without the need of rearranging the paper booklet in the pouch. If the compartment of the pouch comprises more then one stacks of paper sheets and a corresponding number of slots for retrieved the paper sheets of each of the stacks, there can be an additional sealing/welding or seam in the upper portion of the pouch and between the slots.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further aspects and characteristics of the invention ensue from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of an embodiment of cigarette paper dispenser including a pouch and a cigarette paper booklet accommodated therein with an open lid;

FIG. 2 is a perspective rear view of the cigarette paper dispenser of FIG. 1 with the lid closed; and FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a blank for manufacturing a pouch.

The cigarette paper dispenser 10 shown in FIG. 1 mainly comprises a cigarette paper booklet 12 and a flexible pouch 14 surrounding the paper booklet. The paper booklet 12 contains a plurality of individual cigarette paper sheets that can be retrieved separately from the paper booklet 12. In a very simple form, the paper booklet 12 is just a paper or cardboard tray surrounding a stack of paper sheets at three sides so that the individual paper sheets can be taken from the open fourth side. The paper booklet 12 may also be a paper or cardboard box fully surrounding a stack of paper sheets except for a slit through which the individual paper sheets can be retrieved. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the paper booklet 12 is a so-called double booklet, i. e. two stacks of paper sheets are held in a single box. Of course, the paper booklet 12 itself (i. e. not the paper sheets contained therein) may also be made from other materials than paper or cardboard.

The pouch 14 surrounding the paper booklet 12 is made from or coated with an at least splash-proof material like polyethylene (PE) or oriented polypropylene (OPP), for example. The pouch 14 provides a compartment for the paper booklet 12 which is fully closed on all sides, except for a slot 16 for each stack of paper sheets formed in an upper portion 18 of the pouch 14. Accordingly, in the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the pouch 14 has two slots 16 for the two stacks of paper sheets.

Apart from the compartment, the pouch 14 includes a lid 20 for covering the slots 16. The lid 20 can be folded upwards and downwards around a folding line 22 which extends along a lateral side of the compartment. The lid 20 is provided with an adhesive label 24 that can be releasably attached to a surface of the pouch 14. More specifically, the dimensions of the lid 20 and the label 24 are chosen such that the label 24 can be attached to an outer surface of a bottom portion 26 of the pouch 14 opposite the upper portion 18 as shown in FIG. 2. This ensures that the adhesive label 24 does not interfere with the sheets of the paper booklet 12.

It is to be noted that the pouch 14 does not contain any additional compartment for tobacco, a lighter, matches or the like. Rather, the overall dimensions of the pouch are adapted to the overall dimensions of the paper booklet 12, so that the pouch 14 snugly surrounds the paper booklet 12. In the following, the manufacturing process and further characteristics of the pouch 14 are described with reference to FIG. 3. The pouch 14 (without the adhesive label 24) is made from a single blank 28 that can be virtually divided into three adjacent rectangular portions. The three portions correspond to the upper portion 18, the bottom portion 26 and the lid 20, respectively, in accordance with their positions and function in the assembled state of the pouch 14. In the upper portion 18 the slots 16, which later grant access to the stacks of paper sheets, are already cut out.

If the pouch 14 comprises more than one stacks of paper sheets (without having additional surrounding walls on all sides of the stack(s) of paper sheets) and a corresponding number of slots 16 for retrieving the paper sheets of each of the stacks through a slot 16, there can be an additional sealing/welding or seam (or attachment portion) 57 in the upper portion 18 of the pouch and between the slots 16. Along the additional attachment portion 57 or seal, the upper portion 18 and the bottom portion 26 of the pouch 14 are permanently coupled/attached to each other by welding or a permanent adhesive or the like.

The upper portion 18, the bottom portion 26 and the lid 20 have very similar dimensions in terms of opposite first and second long sides 30, 32 and 34, 36 and 38, 40, respectively, and opposite first and second short sides 42, 44 and 46, 48 and 50, 52, respectively. A first folding line 54 corresponds to the common long side of the upper portion 18 and the bottom portion 26, i. e. the first long side 30 of the upper portion 18 and the second long side 36 of the bottom portion 26. The second folding line 22 corresponds to the common long side of the bottom portion 26 and the lid 20, i.e. the first long side 34 of the bottom portion 26 and the second long side 40 of the lid 20.

The upper portion 18 and the bottom portion 26 each have three attachment zones 56, 58, 60 and 62, 64, 66, respectively, extending along the edges of three sides of each portion. In particular, the upper portion 18 has a long attachment zone 56 at its second long side 32 and two short attachment zones 58, 60 at each of its two short sides 42, 44. The bottom portion 26 has a long attachment zone 62 at its first long side 34 and two short attachment zones 64, 66 at each of its two short sides 46, 48.

The paper booklet 12 is placed on the bottom portion 26. In order to build the compartment around the paper booklet 12 the upper portion 18 is folded around the first folding line 54 until the long attachment zone 56 and the two short attachment zones 58, 60 of the upper portion 18 rest on the corresponding long attachment zone 62 and the two short attachment zones 64, 66 of the bottom portion 26, respectively. In this folded state the free long side 32 of the upper portion 18 basically coincides with the second folding line 22, and the slots 16 formed in the upper portion 18 are positioned above the top layers of the stack of paper sheets of the paper booklet 12.

After the step of folding, the attachment zones 56, 58, 60 of the upper portion 18 and the corresponding attachment zones 62, 64, 66 of the bottom portion 26 are sealed with each other. The sealing is performed in a manner so that the resulting sealing connections of the attachment zones 56, 58, 60 and 62, 64, 66 are at least splash-proof.

Of course, the paper booklet 12 can also be placed between the upper portion 18 and the bottom portion 26 during or after the step of folding the upper portion 18 on the bottom portion 26.

Finally, the lid 20 is folded around the second folding line 22 so that it rests on the upper portion 18. The adhesive label 24, which can be attached to the lid 20 at any time of the manufacturing process, is laid around the first folding line 54 and attached to the outer surface of the bottom portion 26. As already explained, the label 24 can be released from the surface of the pouch 14 so that the lid 20 can be opened. This means that after each withdrawal of a paper sheet from the paper booklet 12 the lid 20 can be closed in the described manner so that the adhesive label 24 never interferes with the sheets of the paper booklet 12.

According to an embodiment that is not shown in the drawings, the adhesive label 24 may also be formed as an extension integrally formed with the lid 20 at the side of the lid 20 opposite the second folding line 22.

Although the invention has been described hereinabove with reference to specific embodiments, it is not limited to these embodiments and no doubt further alternatives will occur to the skilled person that lie within the scope of the invention as claimed.