MACHINE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102018000004426 filed on 12/04/2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a rigid packet of smoking articles with a hinged lid and provided with coupon and to the corresponding wrapping method and packer machine.

The present invention finds advantageous application to a packet of cigarettes, to which the following description will make explicit reference without thereby losing generality.

PRIOR ART

Rigid packets of cigarettes with a hinged lid are the most widespread packets of cigarettes on the market as they are easy to manufacture, easy and practical to use and offer good protection for the cigarettes contain therein.

A rigid packet of cigarettes with a hinged lid comprises an inner wrap formed by a group of cigarettes wrapped in a sheet of metallized paper and a rigid outer casing that houses the inner wrap; the inner wrap is initially completely closed and has an extraction opening for the cigarettes which can be closed by a disposable tear-off portion (called "pull") which is removed at the first opening of the packet of cigarettes so as to allow the extraction of the cigarettes enclosed by the inner wrap or it can be closed by a reusable sealing flap (i.e. "open & close" type) which is connected to the inner wrap by a re-stick glue. The outer casing is formed by a cup- shaped container having an open top end, and a lid, which is also cup-shaped and is hinged to the container so as to rotate, relative to the container itself, between an opening position and a closing position, opening and closing the open end. An overwrapping sheet of transparent plastic material (usually cellophane or polypropylene) is wrapped around the outer wrap, which is sealed by means of heat-sealing to preserve the tobacco moisture and aroma.

In some cases, a coupon is coupled to a packet of cigarettes, which has the shape of a single leaflet or a small, accordion- folded sheet and reproduces advertising symbols or collectible images by means of printing. The coupon can be arranged between the outer casing and the overwrapping sheet of transparent plastic material allowing the view of the coupon without having to open the packet. Alternatively, the coupon can be arranged inside the outer casing in a front position, i.e. the coupon can be arranged between a front wall of the inner wrap and a front wall of the outer casing.

When the coupon is arranged inside the outer casing facing the front wall of the inner wrap, the coupon at least partially covers the tear-off disposable portion of the inner wrap or, alternatively, at least partially covers the sealing flap thus making the extraction of the cigarettes very complicated without the prior removal of the coupon; said limitation is often considered disabling by smokers who would rather be able to extract at least some of the cigarettes without having to remove the coupon beforehand, for example because they do not have a waste-basket at hand in which to throw away the coupon in case the coupon is not of their interest or because they do not have a safe and sheltered place to store the coupon in case the coupon is of their interest.

Patent application W02017072606A1 describes a rigid packet of cigarettes with a hinged lid provided with a planar (flat) coupon which is arranged internally between the front wall of the inner wrap and the front wall of the rigid outer casing; in particular, an upper portion of the coupon is arranged inside the lid, is glued to the front wall of the lid by means of glue, and is arranged between the front wall of the inner wrap and the front wall of the lid. In the packet of cigarettes described in patent application W02017072606A1, when the lid is opened for the first time, the coupon is removed from the rigid outer wrap and covers the cigarette extraction opening making the extraction of the cigarettes very complicated and making the closing of the lid impossible without the prior removal of the coupon; said limitation is often considered disabling by smokers who would rather be able to extract at least some of the cigarettes without having to remove the coupon beforehand, for example because they do not have at hand a waste-basket in which to throw away the coupon in case the coupon is not of their interest or because they do not have a safe and sheltered place to store the coupon in case the coupon is of their interest.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a rigid packet of smoking articles with a hinged lid and provided with coupon and corresponding wrapping method and packer machine, which packet is free from the drawbacks described above and is at the same time easy and inexpensive to produce.

According to the present invention, a rigid packet of smoking articles with a hinged lid and provided with coupon and corresponding wrapping method and packer machine are provided, as claimed in the appended claims.

The claims describe preferred embodiments of the present invention forming an integral part of the present description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate some non-limiting embodiments thereof, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view and in a closed configuration of a packet of cigarettes produced according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 1 in a closed configuration;

Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 1 in an open configuration;

- Figure 4 is a front view of an inner wrap of the packet of Figure 1 in a closed configuration;

- Figure 5 is a spread view of a sealing flap of the inner wrap of Figure 4 showing the areas of glue present on the sealing flap;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a group of cigarettes enclosed in the inner wrap of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a reinforcing element coupled to the group of cigarettes of Figure 6 and enclosed in the inner wrap of Figure 4;

- Figure 8 is a plan view of a heat-sealing wrapping sheet used to manufacture the inner wrap of Figure 4;

- Figure 9 is a plan view of a blank used to manufacture the outer container and the hinged lid of Figures 1, 2 and 3;

- Figure 10 is a schematic and cross-sectional view of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 1 with a coupon arranged in the hinged lid, and the lid in the closing position;

- Figure 11 is a schematic and cross-sectional view of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 10 with a coupon arranged in the hinged lid, and the lid in the opening position;

Figures 12-17 are schematic and cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 1 with a coupon arranged in the hinged lid, and the lid in the closing position;

Figure 18 is a front perspective view of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 1 in an open configuration and after the elimination of a coupon initially arranged in the hinged lid; and

Figure 19 is a schematic view of a packer machine that manufactures the packet of cigarettes of Figure 1.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 number 1 denotes as a whole a rigid packet of cigarettes. The packet 1 of cigarettes comprises an outer wrap 50 made of cardboard or rigid paperboard and a sealed wrap 3 (better illustrated in Figure 8) housed in the outer wrap 50.

The outer wrap 50 is formed by a container 2, which is cup shaped and has an open top end, and a lid 4 which is cup shaped and is hinged to the container 2 along a hinge 5 (illustrated in Figure 2) so as to rotate, relative to the container 2, between an opening position (illustrated in Figure 3) and a closing position (illustrated in Figures 1 and 2) of the open top end. The container 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape orientated in a prevailing vertical development direction, is cup-shaped, and has the top end open, a bottom wall 6 opposite the open top end, a front wall 7 and a rear wall 8 (in which the hinge 5 is formed) , which are parallel to and opposite one another, and two side walls 9, which are parallel to and opposite one another. Four longitudinal edges are defined between the front 7, rear 8 and side 9 walls of the container 2, whereas four transverse edges are defined between the walls 7, 8 and 9 and the bottom wall 6 of the container 2.

The lid 4 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, is cup-shaped, and has an open bottom end (facing the open top end of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closing position) , a top wall 10 (which is parallel to and opposite the bottom wall 6 of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closing position) , a front wall 11 (which is parallel to and aligned with the front wall 7 of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closing position) , a rear wall 12 (which is parallel to and aligned with the rear wall 8 of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closing position and is hinged to the rear wall 8 of the container 2 along the hinge 5) , and two side walls 13, which are parallel to and opposite one another (that are parallel to and aligned with, in particular coplanar and adjacent, to the side walls 9 of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closing position) . Four longitudinal edges are defined between the front 11, rear 12 and side 13 walls of the lid 4, whereas four transverse edges are defined between the walls 11, 12 and 13 and the top wall 10 of the lid 4. The longitudinal edges and the transverse edges of the lid 4 are parallel to and aligned with the corresponding longitudinal and transverse edges of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closing position.

According to the embodiment illustrated in the attached Figures, the packet 1 of cigarettes is without a collar; according to a different embodiment not illustrated, the packet 1 of cigarettes comprises a collar, which is fixed (usually by means of gluing) "U"-folded inside the container 2 to partially protrude outside the open top end and engaging a corresponding inner surface of the lid 4 when the lid 4 is arranged in the aforementioned closing position; the collar is preferably provided with closing elements (for example a pair of extensions that project laterally) so as to keep the lid 4 in the closing position.

The wrap 3 encloses a parallelepiped shaped group 14 of cigarettes (illustrated in Figure 6); furthermore, the wrap 3 has an extraction opening 15 at the top and in front, for extracting the cigarettes (illustrated in Figures 5, 8 and 18) closed by a reusable sealing flap 16 (illustrated in Figures 3-5, 8 and 18 ) . The sealing flap 16 is fixed to the wrap 3 by means of re stick glue 17 which does not dry (illustrated in Figure 5), which is applied to an inner surface 18 of the sealing flap 16 (i.e. the surface of the sealing flap 16 facing towards the wrap 3) and is arranged all around the extraction opening 15 so as to allow the sealing flap 16 to be, (i.e. at each opening of the packet 1 of cigarettes), partially separated several times from the wrap 3 and then fixed again to wrap 3 (at each closure of the packet 1 of cigarettes) .

The sealing flap 16 is provided with a lifting tab 19, which is devoid of re-stick glue 17 (as illustrated in Figure 5) and can be gripped by a user to lift the sealing flap 16 (i.e. partially detach the sealing flap 16 from the inner wrap 3 so as to free the extraction opening 15) .

According to a possible embodiment, the inner wrap 3 is devoid of cardboard or rigid paperboard reinforcement element and is arranged inside the inner wrap 3 in contact with the group 14 of cigarettes. According to a different embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, the inner wrap 3 comprises a reinforcing element 20, which is made of cardboard or rigid paperboard (completely similar to the cardboard or rigid paperboard forming the container 2), is "U"-shaped and is arranged inside the inner wrap 3 in contact with the group 14 of cigarettes. The reinforcing element 20 comprises a rectangular-shaped front wall 21, which is arranged in contact with a front wall of the group 4 of cigarettes and a pair of side walls 22, which are connected to the opposite sides of the front wall 21 and are arranged in contact with the side walls of the group 4 of cigarettes. The front wall 21 has an upwardly arranged window that is delimited by an edge 23, is "U"-shaped, and facilitates the extraction of cigarettes from the group 4 of cigarettes since it leaves an upper area of the front wall of the group 4 of cigarettes exposed. As illustrated in Figure 8, the wrap 3 is obtained by folding a heat-sealable wrapping sheet 24, which has a rectangular shape, is folded around the group 14 of cigarettes and, once folded, is stabilized by heat-sealing (i.e. overlapping portions of the wrapping sheet 24 are connected to each other in a stable manner by heat sealing) . The wrapping sheet 24 has an incision that is "U"-shaped and defines the extraction opening 15 for extracting the wrap 3; moreover, the sealing flap 16 is glued to the wrapping sheet 24, which flap completely covers the incision (i.e. the extraction opening 15) . The re-stick pressure-sensitive glue 17 (i.e. which does not dry) is interposed between the sealing flap 16 and the wrapping sheet 24, the glue allows to separate the sealing flap 16 from the wrapping sheet 24 and then re-join the sealing flap 16 to the wrapping sheet 24, even after a long time and for a high number of times.

According to what is illustrated in Figure 9, the container 2 and the lid 4 (that is, the outer wrap 50) are made by folding a flat blank 25 made of cardboard or rigid paperboard and having a substantially elongated rectangular shape; the parts of the blank 25 are indicated with accented reference numbers equal to the reference numbers which distinguish the corresponding walls of the container 2 and of the lid 4. The blank 25 has a reinforcement flap 11" which is connected to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 along a transverse folding line, it is folded by 180° (in the packet 1 of cigarettes) relative to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 (i.e. relative to the panel 11'), and rests on and is glued to an inner surface of the front wall 11 of the lid 4 (i.e. to the panel 11') .

According to what is illustrated in Figures 3, 10 and 11, the packet 1 of cigarettes comprises a coupon 26, which is entirely and completely arranged inside the outer wrap 50 (i.e. no part of the coupon 26 is outside the outer wrap 50), has the shape of a single leaflet or a small, accordion-folded sheet and reproduces advertising symbols or collectible images by means of printing. The coupon 26 can be a rigid type (i.e. it is made of cardboard or paperboard and therefore cannot be folded by 90°/180° in an elastic manner, that is without causing a permanent deformation), or the coupon 26 can be a flexible type (i.e. made of relatively thin paper and therefore can be flexibly folded by 90°/180°, that is, without causing a permanent deformation) The coupon 26 is (at least partially) arranged inside the lid 4 and in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3, 10 and 11 it assumes a "U"-shaped configuration in order to embrace (to wrap, not necessarily in contact with) the inner wrap 3 so as to be arranged between the inner wrap 3 and at least the front wall 11, the top wall 10, and the rear wall 12 of the lid 4 (when the lid 4 is in the respective closing position) . In detail, the coupon 26 can be in contact with the inner surface of the front wall 11 of the lid 4, with the inner surface of the top wall 10 of the lid 4, and with the inner surface of the rear wall 12 of the lid 4.

Moreover, the coupon 26 is glued by means of the glue 27 to the inner surface of the front wall 11 of the lid 4 so that, by opening the lid 4, the coupon 26 follows the lid 4 (i.e. moves together with the lid 4) and therefore "freeing-up" the inner wrap 3 (that is, leaves, moves away from the inner wrap 3) as is well illustrated in Figures 3 and 11. In this way, when the user opens the lid 4 he/she has, immediately and without performing any operation (i.e. without touching the coupon 26 in any way), a complete access to the sealing flap 16 and, at the same time, a good view of the coupon 26 (i.e. the coupon 26 does not go unnoticed) and therefore one may choose whether to take the coupon 26 immediately or later.

According to a preferred embodiment, a bottom portion of the coupon 26 (i.e. the lowest portion of the coupon 26) is glued by means of the glue 27 at the bottom edge of the front wall 11 of the lid 4 (that is, the coupon 26 is glued to the reinforcement flap 11" of the front wall 11 of the lid 4); i.e. the glue 27 connecting the coupon 26 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 is arranged at the bottom edge of the front wall 11 of the lid 4. Alternatively, the glue 27 connecting the coupon 26 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 could be arranged in a central portion or even in a top portion of the front wall 11 of the lid 4. According to a further embodiment, the glue 27 connecting the coupon 26 to the lid 4 is arranged (in addition or alternatively) at the top wall 10 of the lid 4 and/or at the rear wall 12 of the lid 4; i.e. the coupon 26 is glued by means of the glue 27 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4, and/or to the top wall 10 of the lid 4, and/or to the rear wall 12 of the lid 4. According to a further embodiment, in addition to the glue 27, the coupon 26 can be glued to the top wall 10 of the lid 4, and/or to the rear wall 12 of the lid 4, and/or to the rear wall 8 of the container 2, and/or to the bottom wall 11 of the container 2 by means of a further additional weak glue, whose function is essentially that of making the coupon 26 adhere better to the blank 25 during the folding of the blank 25 around the inner wrap (as better described in the following) .

It is important to note that the coupon 26 can be glued to the lid 4 by means of the glue 27, but the coupon 26 is in no way glued (bonded) to either the inner wrap 3 or the container 2. The glue 27 can be a non-separable permanent glue (i.e. a glue that dries after its application, forming a non-separable bond, except by way of a violent and destructive tear) which can be weak (i.e. easy to tear and therefore, in this case, to extract the coupon 4 the user must break the tear-off glue 27) or it can be strong (i.e. untearable and in this case the coupon 26 has a pre-weakened breaking line which tears, leaving a small piece of the coupon 26 attached to the lid 4 by means of the glue 27) . Alternatively the glue 27 can be a re-stick glue (i.e. a glue that does not dry after its application and therefore allows the separation and subsequent re-adhesion to be repeated several times) : in this case the user can relatively easily separate the coupon 26 from the front wall 11 of the lid 4 by "peeling" the re-stick glue 27 and subsequently, by closing the lid 4, the front wall 11 of the lid 4 adheres (due to the action of the re-stick glue 27 left uncovered) to the lifting tab 19 of the sealing flap 16 thus making, after the extraction of the coupon 26, the sealing flap 16 of " self opening" type (i.e. by opening or closing the lid 4 also the sealing flap 16 is simultaneously and automatically opened and closed) . In other words, the lifting tab 19 of the sealing flap 16 is opposite (aligned) with the glue 27 connecting the coupon 26 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4, when the lid 4 is in the closing position, and the glue 27 is a re-stick glue, so that, once the coupon 26 has been removed the glue 27 itself causes a gluing of the lifting tab 19 of the sealing flap 16 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4. The packet 1 of cigarettes which has become of " self-opening" type, following the extraction of the coupon 26 (and therefore following the gluing of the lifting tab 19 of the sealing flap 16 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 due to the glue 27 no longer engaged by the coupon 26) is illustrated by way of example in Figure 18.

According to a possible embodiment, in order to allow the glue 27, no longer engaged by the coupon 26, to adhere the lifting tab 19 of the sealing flap 16 to the front wall 11 of the lid

4, the glue 27 is applied in two layers which separate (divide) when the coupon 26 is removed (i.e. separated from the lid 4) : a first layer of the glue 27 remains attached to the coupon 26 and a second layer of the glue 27 remains attached to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 and causes the subsequent adhesion of the lifting tab 19 of the sealing flap 16 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4. The two layers of the glue 27 can be made of the same type of adhesive substance, or the two layers of the glue 27 can be made of two different types of adhesive substances. According to a possible embodiment, a dividing sheet can be interposed between the two layers of the glue 27, which adheres more to the first layer of the glue 27 (i.e. to the layer of the glue 27 which remains attached to the coupon 26) so that the dividing sheet it is removed from the lid 4 together with the coupon 26, uncovering the second layer of the glue 27 (i.e. the layer of the glue 27 which remains attached to the lid 4) which must glue the lifting tab 19 of the sealing flap 16 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4. The dividing sheet is generally made of plastic material which has a relatively weak adhesion to the glue 27 (above all with the second layer of the glue 27 which remains attached to the lid 4); for example, the dividing sheet could have at least one layer of silicone or similar material facing the second layer of the glue 27 which remains attached to the lid 4.

The two layers of the glue 27 can be applied on the coupon 26 or on the front wall 11 of the lid 4 by means of two distinct applicators which successively apply the two layers of the glue 27 one above the other. Alternatively, the first layer of the glue 27 can be applied to the coupon 26 by a first applicator, the second layer of the glue 27 can be applied to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 by a second applicator, and the two layers of the glue 27 overlap one another when the coupon

26 rests on the front wall 11 of the lid 4. As a further alternative, the two layers of the glue 27 can be formed one on the other by providing a double-sided adhesive tape which is then applied to the coupon 26 or to the front wall 11 of lid 4.

According to a specific embodiment, the second layer of glue

27 can be formed by a strip of double-sided adhesive tape which comprises a support strip (for example, a strip of plastic material) having on both faces layers of glue: one face will be glued to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 and the other face will be glued to the dividing sheet and/or to the first layer of the glue 27.

According to a possible embodiment, the coupon 26 (at least in the part in contact with the glue 27) is provided with a plastic coating (for example made of silicone or similar material) so as to be able to be easily separated (peeled) from the glue 27; in other words, to facilitate the separation of the coupon 26 from the lid 4 (that is, from the glue 27 connecting the coupon 26 to the lid 4), at least the part of the coupon 26 in contact with the glue 27 is plasticized (that is, it is coated with plastic material, for example in silicone or similar material) . It is important to note that the glue 27 adheres in a weak manner to the plastic coating (that is, it adheres much less to the plastic coating than to the paper/cardboard) and therefore it is simple and quick to separate the plasticized (siliconed) part of the coupon 26 from the glue 27.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 10 and 11, the coupon 26 is folded into a "U" shape and extends also in part of the rear wall 8 of the container 2. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 12, the coupon 26 is folded (wrapped) into a "U" shape and extends only to the rear wall 12 of the lid 4 (i.e. it does not extend to the rear wall 8 of the container 2) . In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 13, the coupon 26 is folded (wrapped) in a "L" shape and therefore also does not extend to the rear wall 12 of the lid 4 but only to the top wall 10 of the lid 4 and to the front wall 11 of the lid 4. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 14, the coupon 26 is not folded in a "L" or "U" shape and extends only to the front wall 11 of the lid 4. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 15, the coupon 26 it is folded (wrapped) into a "U" shape and also extends to the whole rear wall 8 of the container 2 up to the limit of the bottom wall 6 of the container 2. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 16, the coupon 26 is folded (wrapped) and also extends to the whole rear wall 8 of the container 2 and to the whole bottom wall 6 of the container 2; in this case the coupon 26 could also be folded into a " spiral" or an "accordion" shape (or in another similar manner) between a bottom wall of the inner wrap 3 and the bottom wall 6 of the container 2 (as illustrated in Figure 16) .

In the embodiments illustrated in Figures 10-16, the coupon

26, at the front, is limited to the front wall 11 of the lid 4 and does not extend to the front wall 7 of the container 2. Instead, in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 17, the coupon 26 also extends in part of the front wall 7 of the container 2; this embodiment could hinder the reclosing movement of the lid 4, that is, the closure of the lid 4 after the first opening, until the coupon 26 is removed; therefore, this embodiment causes the user to remove the coupon 26 while being able to choose when to do so. The portion of the coupon 26 which extends up to the front wall 7 of the container 2 (i.e. extends beyond the bottom edge of the lid 4) must be small, indicatively it must extend for a few millimetres (for example 3-10 mm) beyond the bottom edge of the lid 4. The portion of the coupon 26 which extends to the front wall 7 of the container 2 (i.e. extends beyond the bottom edge of the lid 4) can be used as a grip edge which the user must grip and pull to remove (extract) the coupon 26 from the lid 4 (and possibly from the container 2); in this case, the gripping portion of the coupon 26 which extends to the front wall 7 of the container 2 (i.e. extends beyond the bottom edge of the lid 4) can be a complete continuation of the coupon 26 (i.e. have the same width as the coupon 26), or it can be narrower than the coupon 26 and it can be shaped in a particular way (crescent, arrowhead, pointed ...) . When the packet 1 of cigarettes is produced (that is, before the first opening of the lid 4), the gripping portion of the coupon 26, which extends beyond the bottom edge of the lid 4, is arranged inside the outer wrap 50 and faces the front wall 7 of the container 2, while, after the first opening of the lid 4 (if the coupon 26 is not extracted), the gripping portion of the coupon 26 could be arranged outside the outer wrap 50 and therefore remains visible even when the lid 4 is closed (to "remind" the user that the coupon 26 has yet to be extracted) . The manufacture of the packet 1 of cigarettes described above is simple since it is sufficient to couple the coupon 26 to the inner wrap 3 after the inner wrap 3 has been completed and before folding the blank 25 around the inner wrap 3; in other words between the wrapping unit which forms the inner wrap 3 by folding the wrapping sheet 24 around the group 14 of cigarettes and the wrapping unit which forms the outer wrap 50, that is, the container 2 and the lid 4, by folding the blank 25 around the inner wrap 3, a feeding station is arranged, in which the coupon 26 (which is more or less folded or wrapped around the inner wrap 3) is coupled to the inner wrap 3. The folding of the blank 25 around the inner wrap 3 is completely conventional since the presence of the coupon 26 around the inner wrap 3 has no effect on the folding of the blank 25. The only difference is the presence of a gluing device that applies the glue 27 on the coupon 26 (before or after the coupling of the coupon 26 to the inner wrap 3) or on the blank 25.

For example, in Figure 19 a packer machine 28 is schematically illustrated that manufactures the packet 1 of cigarettes described above.

The packer machine 28 comprises a wrapping wheel 29 which is mounted in a rotatable step like manner about a rotation axis 30 and has a plurality of pockets 31. The rotation of the wrapping wheel 29 about the rotation axis 30 cyclically feeds each pocket 31 along a circular wrapping path and through: an input station SI in which the pocket 31 receives a group 14 of cigarettes which, by entering the pocket 31, intercepts a wrapping sheet 24 which is provided by a feeding device 36 and folds in a "U shape around the group 14 of cigarettes, folding stations in which the wrapping sheet 24 is folded around the group 14 of cigarettes for forming the sealed wrap 3, and a transfer station S2 in which the sealed wrap 3 leaves the pocket 31.

The packer machine 28 comprises a wrapping wheel 33 which is pivotally mounted about a rotation axis 34 and has a plurality of pockets 35. The rotation of the wrapping wheel 33 around the rotation axis 34 cyclically feeds each pocket 35 along a circular wrapping path and through: the transfer station S2 in which the pocket 35 receives a sealed wrap 3 which, by entering the pocket 35, intercepts a coupon 26 which is supplied by a feeding device 36 and folds (wraps) in a "U" shape around the group 14 of cigarettes, and a transfer station S3 in which the sealed wrap 3, coupled to the coupon 26, leaves the pocket 35.

The packer machine 28 comprises a wrapping wheel 37 which is mounted in a rotatable step like manner about a rotation axis 38 and has a plurality of pockets 39. The rotation of the wrapping wheel 37 around the rotation axis 38 cyclically feeds each pocket 39 along a circular wrapping path and through: the transfer station S3, in which the pocket 39 receives a sealed wrap 3 coupled to the coupon 26 which, by entering the pocket 39, intercepts a blank 25 which is provided by a feeding device 40 and folds in a "U" shape around the group 14 of cigarettes, folding stations in which the blank 25 is folded around the group 14 of cigarettes in order to form the container 2 and the lid 4 thus completing the formation of the packet 1 of cigarettes, and an output station S5 in which the packet 1 of cigarettes leaves the pocket 39. Obviously, the blank 25 could be fed to the wrapping wheel 37 in a different position relative to the transfer station S3. Furthermore, the wrapping wheel 33 could be substituted by a linear conveyor.

Finally, the packer machine 28 comprises a gluing device 41 which is arranged at the transfer station S3 (alternatively the gluing device 41 could be arranged along the periphery of the wrapping wheel 37, along the periphery of the wrapping wheel 33, or in the area of the transfer station S2) that applies the glue 27 which glues the coupon 26 to the front wall 11 of the lid 4.

According to the alternatives described above, the gluing device 41 applies the glue 27 (which can be permanent-weak, permanent-strong, re-stick) in a single-layer or apply the glue 27 in a double-layer; in the latter case, the gluing device 41 can comprise two applicators (also relatively apart) which apply the two layers of the glue 27 or can comprise a single applicator which applies a double-sided adhesive strip containing the two layers of the glue 27. According to a different embodiment not illustrated, in the packer machine 28 the coupon 26 is not coupled to the inner wrap 3, but is coupled to the blank 25 (to which it is made to adhere by means of the glue 27) when the blank 25 is still flat and subsequently the blank 25 together with the coupon 26 are folded, around the inner wrap 3 so as to form the outer wrap 50, that is, the container 2 and the lid 4; in this embodiment, the coupon 26 could be glued to the blank 25 also with other weak glue in addition to the glue 27 arranged at the front wall 11 of the lid 4 in order to ensure, during the folding of the blank 25, a better and more diffused adhesion of the coupon 26 to the blank 25 and therefore to avoid that the coupon 26 can "flutter" (or move in an undesired and uncontrolled manner) during the folding of the blank 25.

According to a particular embodiment, the gluing device 41 applies the strip of double-sided adhesive tape (which comprises the support strip having on one face the second layer of the glue 27 and on the other face a further layer of glue covered by the dividing sheet) to the blank 25; moreover, the gluing device 41 (or possibly another gluing device) applies the first layer of glue 27 over the dividing sheet and glues the coupon 26 thereon.

In other words, for the manufacture of the packet 1 of cigarettes described above, a wrapping method is provided (in the packer machine 28) which comprises the steps of: forming a group 14 of cigarettes in a forming unit; manufacturing an inner wrap 3 by folding a wrapping sheet 24 around the group 14 of cigarettes in a first wrapping unit; manufacturing, in a second wrapping unit and folding a blank 25 around the inner wrap 3, a container 2 which is cup-shaped and a lid 4 which is cup-shaped and is hinged to the container 2 so as to rotate, relative to the container 2, between an opening position and a closing position; arranging a coupon 26 in the outer wrap 50 (by means of the feeding device 36); arranging the coupon 26 at least partially inside the lid 4, folded at least in a "L" shape, and in contact at least with the front wall 11 of the lid 4 and with the top wall 10 of the lid 4; and gluing the coupon 26 to the lid 4 by means of the glue 27 applied by the gluing device 41. In other words, the coupon 26 is arranged at least partially inside the lid 4 between the inner wrap 3 and at least the front wall 11 and the top wall 10 of the lid 4 in order to give the coupon 26 a substantially "L"-shaped configuration .

In the embodiments illustrated in the attached Figures, the inner wrap 3 is sealed and is provided with the extraction opening 15 closed by the sealing flap 16 of the "open & close" type; in this regard it is important to note that the above- described arrangement of the coupon 26 is particularly advantageous in combination with the presence of the "open & close" sealing flap 16 since the coupon 26, arranged as described above, does not, in any way, hinder the gripping and the (opening/closing) movement of the sealing flap 16. According to other embodiments not illustrated, the inner wrap 3 is of the traditional type (i.e. not sealed and therefore formed by metallized paper folded around the group 14 of cigarettes without the use of glue) and therefore provided with a top removable portion (the so-called "pull" which is eliminated by tear-off at the first opening of the packet 1 cigarettes. According to further embodiments not illustrated, the inner wrap 3 is of a still different type.

In the embodiments illustrated in the attached Figures, the packet 1 of cigarettes is devoid of a collar. According to other embodiments not illustrated, the packet 1 of cigarettes comprises a collar which is generally "U"-shaped and partially protrudes from the open top end 3 of the container 2 to engage the lid 4 in the closing position.

In the embodiments illustrated in the attached figures, the longitudinal and transverse edges are straight; alternatively, the longitudinal and/or transverse edges could be rounded or chamfered .

In the embodiments illustrated in the attached figures, the packet 1 of cigarettes contains a group 14 of cigarettes; alternatively, the packet 1 of cigarettes can contain any other type of smoking articles such as cigars, electric or electronic cigarettes (i.e. cigarettes that generate an aerosol without combustion) , cartridges and refills for electronic cigarettes, new generation cigarettes.

The embodiments described herein can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the present invention .

The packet 1 of cigarettes described above has numerous advantages .

Firstly, in the packet 1 of cigarettes described above, it is possible to house the coupon 26 in a position which, at the same time, is optimally visible (the internal volume of the lid 4 is one of the most prominent parts of the packet 1 of cigarettes when the lid 4 is opened) and does not, in any way, hinder access to the cigarettes (i.e. to the sealing flap 16 which must be lifted by gripping the lifting tab 19 to free the extraction opening 15 for extracting the cigarettes) . Therefore, the user is completely free to choose whether to immediately extract the coupon 26 at the first opening of the lid 4 or to extract the coupon 26 afterwards.

Furthermore, the user has a positive incentive (i.e. by offering a "reward" if the action is performed instead of imposing a "penalty" if the action is not performed) to quickly extract the coupon 26 (and then immediately see the coupon 26) since by extracting the coupon 26 the packet 1 of cigarettes can become a " self-opening" type.

Finally, the packet 1 of cigarettes described above can easily be produced in a standard packer machine (which requires only a few minor modifications) and therefore for its production does not require the use of an expensive special packer machine (that is, specially designed for this type of packets of cigarettes) .