It has been proposed to package cigarettes by providing about a charge of cigarettes a sealed enclosure of sheet barrier material, which enclosure comprises a cigarette removal access aperture and a cover layer, which cover layer serves to sealingly close the access aperture. In that the cover layer comprises at the under face thereof a marginal zone of permanently tacky adhesive, after the cover layer has been peeled back to open the access aperture to permit the removal of a cigarette from the package, the cover layer may be reapplied against the exterior face of the barrier material of the enclosure about the periphery of the access aperture, thus to reseal the enclosure.

The access aperture may be provided by cutting the barrier material in a. closed figure, as rectangle for example, and removing the thus defined portion of the barrier material, in which case the material of the cover layer is preferably a barrier material. The access aperture may alternatively be provided by cutting the barrier material in a closed figure but, instead of removing the portion of barrier material defined by the line of cut, applying the cover'layer over and adhering the cover layer to that portion of the barrier material. Thus according to this alternative, when the cover layer is peeled back, the aforesaid portion of the barrier material is removed from the aperture and is reinserted therein when the cover layer is brought again to the aperture closure position thereof. As disclosed in the specification and drawings of W098/22367, instead of providing a line of cut in a closed figure, a line of cut, or a line of weakening, may be provided such as to define a flap, the cover layer being adhered to the flap.

The sheet barrier materials proposed and used for the sealed enclosures have high barrier properties. Thus the tobacco of the cigarettes contained in the enclosures are protected against changes in moisture content or losses of volatile flavour compounds. The freshness of the product is therefore maintained for an extensive period by virtue of the resealable high barrier pouch construction.

In that the key merit of cigarette packages comprising a resealable barrier enclosure is the maintenance of original cigarette condition, it is of importance to the consumer to have an assurance when taking possession of such a package that there has occurred no prior opening of the package. It is thus an object of the subject invention to provide such a package with means offering such assurance to the consumer.

The subject invention provides a smoking article charge comprising a block of smoking articles and a sealed enclosure, which enclosure comprises a layer of sheet barrier material enclosing said block, said enclosure further comprising a smoking article access aperture defined in the barrier material layer and a cover layer extending over said aperture and extending outwardly of all of the edges of said aperture, said cover layer comprising a line of weakening extending in that portion thereof outward of said aperture and defining a closure flap, said cover layer being secured to said barrier material layer outwardly of said line of weakening and, by means of permanently tacky adhesive, said cover layer being sealingly adhered to said barrier material layer outwardly of said access aperture, whereby at the first opening of said aperture said flap is severed at said line of weakening from that portion of said cover layer outward of said line, the enclosure being resealable, by means of said permanently tacky adhesive, upon margins of said flap being brought again into contact with said barrier material layer about said aperture.

The severing of the closure flap from the outward portion of the cover layer constitutes, of course, an irreversible destruction of the original integrity of the cover layer. Thus should the first opening of the enclosure be illicit, upon the occurrence of a subsequent licit opening, it will be apparent that the enclosure has been prior opened. That prior opening has taken place may be visually evidenced by the closure flap no longer forming part of a cover layer extending outwardly of the closure flap. Additionally, or instead, the licit opener will observe the absence of a sensation of severment as the closure flap is peeled back.

The smoking article charge may be a charge comprising two major (front and rear) faces, two side faces and two (top and base) end faces. A thus configured smoking article charge may be contained in a smoking article pack, a so-called hinge-lid pack for example. Preferably, the smoking article access aperture of a smoking article charge so configured extends at the top end face into the front. major face of the charge.

Preferably the line of weakening in the cover layer extends parallel to an edge of the smoking article access aperture, which edge extends parallel to the edges of the top end face of the charge of cigarettes, that is the longitudinal edge of the aperture. That parallel line of weakening may suitably extend the full length of the cover layer, that is from the transverse edge of the cover layer overlying the front face of the charge to the transverse edge of the cover layer overlying the rear of the charge. Alternatively, the line of weakening may extend parallel to the edge of the aperture over only part of its length.

As an alternative, the line of weakening of the cover layer may extend in that portion outward of said aperture over only one or more marginal areas of that portion. The line of weakening may suitably be arcuate and extend from one longitudinal edge of the cover layer to a transverse edge of the cover layer. Advantageously, such a line of weakening occurs at one or more corners of the cover layer.

Preferably the cover layer is provided with marginal lines of weakening at those major faces of the charge covered by the cover layer. When the cover layer extends from a major or front face over an end face and onto a further major or rear face, advantageously each corner is provided with a line of weakening at its margins. Alternatively, one major face may be provided at the cover layer edge with permanent securing means.

Preferably the cover layer extending outwardly of the line of weakening therein is adhered to the barrier material layer by permanent adhesive.

Alternatively, instead of the adhesive outwardly of the line of weakening being permanent adhesive it may be the same adhesive as the adhesive extending outwardly of the access aperture, i. e. permanently tacky adhesive, provided that the line of weakening severs sufficiently easily compared with the degree of adhesion between the cover layer outwardly of the line of weakening and the underlying barrier material layer.

A further alternative to permanent adhesive is the provision of alternative permanent bonding means such as heat melt material to bond the cover layer to the barrier material or other means to provide a permanent weld between these two materials.

Advantageously, whether or not the smoking article charge is disposed in an outer pack, the charge comprises frame means extending about the block of smoking articles and being within the enclosure. Suitable such frame means are exemplified in W098/22367.

In order that the subject invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect reference will now be made, by way of example, to the drawings herewith, in which:- Figure 1 shows a perspective view, from the front and above, of a sealed cigarette charge; Figure 2 shows a perspective view, from the rear and below, of the cigarette charge of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view, taken on line A-A of Figure 1, of the upper wall of an enclosure of the charge of Figure 1; and Figure 4 shows an alternative arrangement of the line of weakening in the cover layer.

The cigarette charge shown in Figures 1 and 2 and generally designated by reference numeral 1 comprises a block of cigarettes (not shown) embraced by a frame (also not shown) of card material, which block of cigarettes and frame are wrapped about and contained within a sealed enclosure 2 of a layer of sheet barrier material 3. The sheet barrier material may be, for example, a metal/plastics laminate or a vacuum metallised plastics material. Alternatively, a mono non- metallised plastics film of sufficiently high barrier characteristics may be used.

The sealed enclosure 2 is formed from a rectangular blank of the sheet barrier material 3 which, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, is wrapped about the aforesaid frame and the block of cigarettes therewithin, so as to extend continuously, i. e. without a seam, from the front (4) of the charge 1, over the top (5) and onto the rear (6). Sealing seams are formed as is indicated in Figures 1 and 2, at the sides of the charge 1 (reference numeral 7 designating one of the two sides) and at base 8 thereof.

The sealed enclosure 2 is provided with a cigarette access/removal aperture, as is indicated by broken line 9 in Figure 1. This aperture extends from the top 5 to the front 4 of the charge 1 and is defined, at line 9, by a line of cut or a line of weakening. The sealed enclosure 2 is further provided with a cover layer 10 which is adhesively applied at the rear, top and front of the enclosure 2 so as to be anchored at the rear of enclosure 2 (see Figure 2) and so as to overlie and to extend outwardly of the access aperture at the top and the front of the enclosure 2 (see Figure 1).

The cover layer 10 comprises a line of weakening 11 which extends in that portion of the cover layer 10 outward of the access aperture defined by line 9. The line of weakening 11 defines a closure flap 12 (see Figure 3).

Outwardly of the line of weakening 11 the cover layer 10 is adhesively secured to the underlying barrier material 3.

The adhesive serving this purpose, and designated by reference numeral 13 in Figure 3, may be a permanent adhesive.

Outwardly of the line 9 defining the access aperture in the enclosure 2 is a continuous zone of permanently tacky adhesive (designated by reference numeral 14 in Figure 3), which zone is bounded at the outward edge thereof by the line of weakening 11 in the cover layer 10 and by the upper edge or fold line of a pull tab 15 of the cover layer 10.

An adhesive serves to secure the cover layer 10 to that portion of the barrier material 3 within the line 9. This adhesive, the location of which is indicated in Figure 3 by reference numeral 16, may be a permanent adhesive.

In order that it may be readily gripped, the pull-tab 15 is not adhered to the underlying barrier material 3.

Upon the first occasion of the cigarette charge 1 being opened in order to gain access to the cigarettes therewithin, the consumer grips the pull-tab 15 and pulls upwardly and then rearwardly. This action of the consumer causes the cover layer 10 to sever at the line of weakening 11 thereof, the portion of the cover layer outwardly of the line 11 remaining adhered to the enclosure 2 and the closure flap 12 (Figure 3) defined by and within the line 11 being peeled back. Because the flap 12 is adhered to that portion of the barrier material 3 within the line 9 thereof, the same action simultaneously causes that portion of the barrier. material 3 to separate, along line 9, from barrier material extending from and outwardly of the line.

The irreversible severance of the cover layer 10 at the line 11, which is caused when the enclosure 2 is first opened provides ready evidence of the fact that the first opening has occurred.

In a second embodiment shown in Figure 4, the same reference numerals are used as in the earlier Figures denoting the same features. In this embodiment the line of weakening 11 extends of marginal corner areas 17 and 18. The lines of weakening 11 correspond at the transverse edge of the cover layer with the edge of the pull-tab 15, so that the line of weakening is readily destroyed upon lifting of the pull-tab 15.

These corner areas may advantageously be repeated at the rear of the pack, thus preventing tampering at the rear portion of the cover layer without affecting the front of the cover layer.

Alternatively, two corner areas are provided on one major face (say the front face) of the charge and the other major face (the rear face) may be provided with a permanent adhesive at the transverse margin of the cover layer to prevent the cover layer from being separated from the underlying barrier material layer. Even if the adhesive is not actually strong enough to prevent separation, there will be clear evidence of tampering.

As will be readily understood by those skilled in the honourable art of packaging, adhesive 13 may, instead of being a permanent adhesive, be the same permanently tacky adhesive as adhesive 14 so long the line of weakening 11 severs sufficiently easily vis-a-vis the adhesion between the cover' layer 10 outwardly of line 11 and the underlying barrier material 3. Similarly, adhesive at 16 may be the same permanently tacky adhesive as adhesive 14 if the resistance to separation at line 9 is low enough in comparison with the adhesion provided at location 16.

Cigarette charge 1 may be employed as a packaging which is somewhat similar to a conventional soft cup package, although, owing to the presence of the internal frame, cigarette charge 1 is likely to be significantly more rigid than a conventional soft cup package.

An alternative mode of use of cigarette charge 1 is for the cigarette charge 1 to be disposed, as a close fit, within an outer package, one closely resembling, for example, a so- called hinge-lid pack. In such case it will be arranged that the hinging back of the lid to open the pack will give full access to the cover layer 10 of the cigarette charge 1, including, of course, the pull tab 15.