This disclosure relates to a tobacco pouch with a pocket, such as a tobacco pouch for handmade (also known as 'roll your own' or 'make your own') cigarettes. Handmade cigarette are made, usually by the smoker, by wrapping a rectangular sheet of cigarette wrapping paper of the length of the cigarette around loose tobacco. Cigarette papers for hand making, having a moisture activated adhesive strip along one long edge, are usually presented in a small package of card from which one paper protrudes through a slot; the papers are folded longitudinally and interleaved inside the packet so that removal of the protruding paper causes the next paper to protrude through the slot. The wrapping may be done by hand or by use of a cigarette rolling mat or by use of a small hand operated machine. The cigarette may include a filter, or not, according to the smoker's preference.

Tobacco for handmade cigarettes is often supplied in pouches of a polymeric sheet material. Such pouches are typically formed of a single rectangular sheet of material, one end of which is folded back on itself and the overlying edge margins sealed together to form a container portion for holding tobacco; the remainder of the sheet provides a flap that may be folded over the opening of the container portion and adhered to the front wall of the container portion to close the pouch.

A consumer of 'roll your own' or 'make your own' cigarettes requires in addition to tobacco, cigarette papers and, optionally, filters. These may be carried separately from the tobacco, but this may be inconvenient and may result in one of the components being mislaid by the consumer. If papers or filters are placed in the pouch with the tobacco, they may become mixed up with the tobacco and may be hard to find when required. Also, the relatively high moisture level in tobacco may cause the papers to become damp and the adhesive may be activated so that the papers in the packet of papers adhere to one another, making them inconvenient or impossible to use. Similarly, filters placed in the pouch with the tobacco may become marred by exposure to the moisture in the tobacco.

It would be useful to provide a tobacco pouch with a pocket that may be resealed multiple times. It would be desirable that this pocket hold papers and, optionally, filters to provide the elements of 'roll your own' or 'make your own' cigarettes in a single container or pouch. A tobacco pouch includes a front wall and a back wall connected to one another along a bottom edge and opposing side edges and having an open top edge. The front wall has an inner surface and the back wall has an inner surface defining a main pouch cavity. A flap is connected to the back wall and overlaying the front wall. A pocket element is fixed within the main pouch cavity. The pocket element is defined by four side walls where three of the four side walls are affixed to the either the front wall inner surface or the back wall inner surface and the remaining side wall defines a pocket open edge. Preferably the pocket open edge has a width value that is less than about 90% of the width value of the open top edge. Preferably a resealable closure element is disposed along the pocket open edge configured to reseal the pocket open edge. The closure element preferably comprises a microsuction structure or a pressure sensitive adhesive or a magnetic material and an opposing magnetic material or magnetic nanoparticles dispersed in a polymeric material and opposing magnetic material or a hook and loop fastener

Preferably the pocket element is formed of a material that is different than the material forming the front wall or the back wall. In many embodiments, the open top edge and the pocket open edge are parallel. In some embodiments, the pocket open edge is substantially parallel with open top edge and optionally coextensive with a portion of the open top edge.

Use of a pouch according to the invention allows more than one type of item to be carried separately in a single pouch. In the case of a pouch for hand rolling tobacco for handmade cigarettes, cigarette papers or filters or both may be carried in the pouch separately so that the tobacco is held separate from the cigarette papers or filters. Preferably, the tobacco is held in main pouch cavity and the cigarette papers, the cigarette filters or both the cigarette papers and the cigarette filters are held in a smaller pocket. This avoids the cigarette papers or filters from becoming mixed up with the tobacco and avoids moisture from the tobacco affecting the cigarette papers or filters.

The terms "front," "back," "upper," "lower," "side," "top," "bottom," and other terms used to describe relative positions of the components of packaging or a pouch and refer to the packaging or a pouch where front wall forms a front side and the tobacco or smokable material is contained between the front side and the back side. The terms "left" and "right" may be used with reference to side walls or edges of the packaging or a pouch when the packaging or a pouch is viewed from the front side. When describing packaging or a pouch according to the present invention, these terms are used irrespective of the orientation of the container being described.

The term "inner surface" refers to the surface of a component of the assembled packaging or a pouch that is facing towards the interior of the packaging or a pouch, for example towards the tobacco or smokable material, when the packaging or a pouch is in the closed position.

The term "outer surface" refers to the surface of a component of the packaging or a pouch that is facing towards the exterior of the packaging or a pouch. For example, in one or more embodiments, the packaging or a pouch includes a front wall that includes an outer surface that is facing the flap of the packaging or a pouch and an inner surface that is facing the tobacco or smokable material held in the packaging or a pouch.

The term "hinge line" refers to a line about which two elements may be pivoted relative to each other. A hinge line may be, for example, a fold line, a perforation line or score line in a wall or panel of the packaging or a pouch, or between two panels of the packaging or a pouch. The term "panel" refers to a portion of the packaging or a pouch formed from a single, continuous portion of material. A panel may depend along one or more fold lines form one or more other panels.

The term "flap" refers to a panel that depends along only one fold line from only one other panel. The term "wall" refers to a facet of the container, and a wall may be formed from a single panel or flap, or a wall may be formed from two or more abutting or overlapping panels or flaps.

The terms "height", "width" and "depth" refer to the external dimensions of the packaging or a pouch or a component of the packaging or a pouch along three perpendicular axes, when the flap is in the closed position and viewing the packaging or a pouch from the front side. For example, the "height" of the container refers to the vertical distance between the top and bottom of the packaging or a pouch, the "width" of the container refers to the distance between opposed right and left sides of the packaging or a pouch, and the "depth" of the packaging or a pouch refers to the distance between the front and back of the packaging or a pouch. The term "reclosable" refers to both sealing or adhering or any other method for reversibly affixing the element described herein.

The term "microsuction structure" is used herein to refer to an article comprising a flexible material having a plurality of micro cavities, microsuction cups or microbubbles on the material's external surface. The walls of the microsuction structure are deformable, such that, when the external surface of the material is pressed against a contact surface, a sealed environment of reduced pressure is formed between the walls of the cavities and the contact surface. This provides a suction force between the walls of the cavities and the contact surface.

The microsuction structure may have a diameter of from about 5 microns to about 300 microns. The material may be formed of an expanded resin having a plurality of internal air bubbles. The material may be provided as a layer of a sheet-like article on the surface of the container. The layer may have a thickness of from about 30 microns to about 500 microns. The sheet-like article may include one or more additional layers, such as a layer for securing the material layer to the surface of the container. This disclosure relates to a pouch suitable for holding hand rolling tobacco, cigarette papers and optionally cigarette filters. The tobacco pouch includes a front wall and a back wall connected to one another along a bottom edge and opposing side edges and having an open top edge and defining a main pouch cavity. A flap is connected to the back wall and overlays the front wall. A pocket element is fixed within the main pouch cavity. The pocket element is defined by four side walls where three of the four side walls are affixed to the either the front wall inner surface or the back wall inner surface and the remaining side wall defines a pocket open edge. Preferably a closure element is disposed along the pocket open edge configured to reseal the pocket open edge.

The tobacco pouch may be formed of a flexible substrate material from a sheet of material. The sheet may be formed of any flexible material or combination of materials that is capable of being heat-sealed. Furthermore, the material should have sufficient moisture barrier properties to prevent loss of moisture from the tobacco or smokable material during storage or use and to prevent the ingress of water or vapour into the pouch. In addition, the material forming the pouch is preferably impermeable to microorganisms. The pouch may have regions that are transparent or opaque or be metallized or be entirely transparent or opaque or be metallized. The pouch may be formed from a single layer material, or a laminate material, for example a metal and plastic laminate. Suitable materials include single layer materials like polyolefins such as polyesters, in particular, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), ultra high-density polyethylene (UHDPE), orientated polypropylene (OPP), cast polypropylene (CPP), for example.

Other embodiments include multiple layer laminates, preferably double or triple layer laminates. The multilayer laminates preferably include at least one layer of polyethylene, metalized polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate or metalized polyethylene terephthalate and other suitable laminates, e.g. cellulose-based laminates with limited water-vapour permeability. The water-vapour permeability is measured by the vapour-water transmission rate in accordance with ISO 2528: 1995. In a preferred embodiment, the vapour-water transmission rate is measured at 25 degrees Celsius and 60 percent relative humidity.

In a preferred embodiment, the vapour-water transmission rate is less than about 20 grams per square meter per 24 hours, preferably less than about 15 grams per square meter per 24 hours, further preferred less than about 10 grams per square meter per 24 hours, even more preferably less than about 8 grams per square meter per 24 hours, most preferably less than 15 about 6 grams per square meter per 24 hours. In some preferred embodiments, a single heat seal closes a side edge of the tobacco pouch. Preferably, the pouch is hermetically sealed, preferably using a heat sealing process.

In some embodiments the pouch is formed of PET having a sheet thickness in a range from about 10 microns to about 50 microns. One example of a suitable three-layer laminated sheet material for forming the pouch comprises a first layer of about 40 grams per square meter of paper, a second layer of metallized about 12 micron thick PET, and a third layer of about 60 micron thick low density polyethylene..

Preferably, the pouch is resealable using a resealable or non-permanent adhesive along at least one edge, preferably the open top edge. The pouch may therefore be resealed or at least partially resealed between openings in order to retain the freshness of the tobacco material and in particular to maintain the moisture level of the tobacco material. The resealable opening further prevents the tobacco material from falling out of the package between uses. The resealable opening may include a closure element, as described herein. The main pouch cavity of the present invention is suitable for a wide variety of tobacco or smokable materials including one or more tobacco types. The tobacco material may be in any suitable form and may include tobacco cut from tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco material, or both. The tobacco material typically has a cut width of between about 0.1 and about 0.9 millimetres, more preferably between about 0.3 and about 0.6 millimetres and may be pasteurized.

Preferably, the moisture content of the tobacco material within the pouch is between about 15 percent and about 22 percent by weight, more preferably between about 16 percent and about 20 percent by weight as measured two weeks after the filling of the tobacco pouch with the tobacco material. The tobacco material in the pouch preferably has a weight of between about 10 grams and about 500 grams, more preferably between about 20 grams and about 60 grams. The pouch may be overwrapped, for example with a transparent wrapper. This may provide an additional barrier layer to protect the tobacco material.

Pouches according to the invention may be of any convenient size. The width of the pouch or main pouch cavity preferably is from about 70 millimetres to about 220 millimetres, more preferably from about 80 millimetres to about 180 millimetres, most preferably from about 100 millimetres to about 160 millimetres. The depth of the pouch or main pouch cavity preferably is at least about 50 millimetres, preferably at least about 60 millimetres, even more preferably at least about 70 millimetres. In another embodiment the depth of the pouch or main pouch cavity is less than about 130 millimetres, preferably is less than about 100 millimetres.

The pocket element may be formed of any substrate material or laminate as described above for forming the pouch or main pouch cavity. Preferably the pocket element is formed of a material that is different than the material forming the front wall or the back wall. In other embodiments the pocket element is formed of the same type of material that forming the front wall or the back wall.

The pocket element may be formed of any flexible material that allows for rolling of the pouch. Preferably the pocket element is formed from single or multiple layer laminates, preferably double or triple layer laminates. The multilayer laminates preferably include at least one layer of polyolefin such as, polyethylene, metalized polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate or metalized polyethylene terephthalate or other suitable laminates, e.g. cellulose- based laminates with limited water-vapour permeability. Preferably the sheet material forming the pocket is a different type of material than the pouch sheet material. Preferably the sheet material forming the pocket may be heat sealed with the pouch sheet material. Preferably this heat sealing forms a hermetic seal. The pocket element may be transparent or opaque. A transparent pocket allows a user to see what is in the pocket without opening the pocket. Examples of two layer laminate sheet material forming the pocket element includes independently selecting two layers of the following materials: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), orientated polypropylene (OPP), cast polypropylene (CPP), metallized cast polypropylene (Met CPP), and metallized polyethylene (Met PE) for example.

Examples of three layer laminate sheet material forming the pocket element includes independently selecting three layers of the following materials: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), metallized polyethylene terephthalate (Met PET), orientated polypropylene (OPP), cast polypropylene (CPP), metallized cast polypropylene (Met CPP), and metallized polyethylene (Met PE) for example.

In some preferred embodiments the pocket element is formed of a laminate sheet material formed of a layer of orientated polypropylene (OPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) optionally metallized polyethylene terephthalate (Met PET), and polyethylene.

The pocket may be any convenient size to contain cigarette paper and optionally filter elements. The width of the pocket is less than about 90% of the width value of the open top edge or front wall or back wall. The depth of the pocket is less than 80% of the depth of the main pouch cavity. The pocket element preferably has a surface area that is less than about 90% or less than about 75% of the front wall surface area or back wall surface area.

In many embodiments the open top edge and the pocket open edge are parallel. The pocket open edge may be coextensive or substantially coextensive with a portion of the open top edge. In other embodiments the pocket open edge is at least a linear distance of about 5 mm or at least about 10 mm away from the open top edge.

A closure element is disposed along the pocket open edge configured to reseal the pocket open edge. A separate closure element may be disposed along the open top edge of the pouch. The pocket closure element and the pouch closure element may be parallel. The pocket closure element may be coextensive with a portion of the pouch closure element. The pocket closure element and the pouch closure element may be parallel and spaced apart from each other. The pocket closure element and the pouch closure element may be the same type of closure element. The pocket closure element and the pouch closure element may be different types of closure elements.

The closure element is preferably a continuous linear stripe of material. The pocket closure element is preferably 100% of the width of the pocket open edge. The closure element has a lateral dimension that is dependent on the type of closure material utilized. In many embodiments the stripe of closure material has a lateral dimension (width) that is in a range from about 1 mm to about 10 mm or from about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

T e closure element may be formed of any useful resealable, reclaosable or reusable closure material. Preferably the closure element may reseal or reclose the pocket open edge at least about 5 times or at least about 10 times, or at least about 20 times or at least about 30 times. The term "reseal" refers to securely closing the pocket open edge so that human force is required to peal open the pocket open edge and allow a user to gain access to the paper or filters within the pocket. The pocket may therefore be resealed or at least partially resealed between openings in order to retain the freshness of the tobacco paper and filters. The closure element may also prevent the tobacco paper or filters from falling out of the pocket between uses. The closure element also reduces or prevents moisture from transmitting through the closure element when the closure element is in the closed or sealed position.

In many embodiments the closure element is a microsuction structure. In other embodiments, the closure element is a pressure sensitive adhesive. In further embodiments, the closure element is a magnetic material and an opposing magnetic material. In many of these embodiments, the closure element is magnetic nanoparticles dispersed in a polymeric material and an opposing magnetic material. In other embodiments, the closure element is a hook and loop fastener. In other embodiments the closure element is a is a low tack adhesive. The microsuction structure may be any microstructure that utilizes suction to form a seal.

When the closure material is a microsuction structure, a removable liner may be disposed on the microsuction structure to protect the microsuction structure until the removable liner is removed by the consumer to utilize the pocket if it is not already utilized when purchased. The liner may be any useful liner such as a polymer or film material. Microsuction structures are commercially available under the trade designation Yupo Tako from Yupo Europe GmbH. ln other embodiments, the resealable closure element is a pressure sensitive adhesive. A pressure sensitive adhesive is an adhesive forms a bond when pressure is applied to marry the adhesive with the adherend. Solvent, water, or heat is not needed to activate the adhesive. Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are known to possess properties such as: (1) aggressive tack at room temperature, (2) adherence to a substrate with no more than finger pressure, (3) sufficient ability to hold onto an adherend, and/or (4) sufficient cohesive strength to be removed cleanly from the adherend. Furthermore, the pressure sensitive adhesive may be a single adhesive or a combination of two or more pressure sensitive adhesives. Pressure sensitive adhesives are usually based on an elastomer that may be compounded with a tackifier. Useful elastomers include acrylics, rubbers, styrene block copolymers or vinyl ethers, for example. Pressure sensitive adhesives are commercially available from 3M Company, St. Paul, MN.

In some embodiments, the closure element is a low tack adhesive comprising a fast- curing acrylic oligomer (epoxidized soy bean oil acrylate), a slower-curing, reactive tack-control agent (urethane acrylate) and an optional elastomeric component (methacrylated polybutylene), commercially available from Mondelez International, for example.

In other embodiments, the closure element is nanofibers, e.g. a silicone-based bio- inspired adhesive commercially available from Binder.

In further embodiments, the closure element is a magnetic material and an opposing magnetic material. The magnetic material may be one or more magnets forming the closure element. In preferred magnetic embodiments, the closure element is magnetic nanoparticles dispersed in a polymeric material. The polymeric material preferably is a light or heat curable polymeric adhesive. The magnetic nanoparticles preferably are magnetic metal or magnetic metal oxide nanoparticles. The magnetic metal includes iron, cobalt, nickel and alloys of iron, cobalt or nickel. The size of the nanoparticles is about 1 nanometer to about 100 nanometres. In other embodiments, the closure element is a hook and loop fastener. Hook and loop fasteners are commercially available from under the trade designation Velcro from Velcro GmbH.

The tobacco pouch may include a closure element fixed to the open top edge for closing the back panel to the front panel along the open top edge. This closure element may comprise any of the materials described to form the pocket closure element. This pouch closure element may be a zip element (such as a Zip-Lock element).

All scientific and technical terms used herein have meanings commonly used in the art unless otherwise specified. The definitions provided herein are to facilitate understanding of certain terms used frequently herein.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" encompass embodiments having plural referents, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and/or" unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The term "and/or" means one or all of the listed elements or a combination of any two or more of the listed elements.

As used herein, "have", "having", "include", "including", "comprise", "comprising" or the like are used in their open ended sense, and generally mean "including, but not limited to". It will be understood that "consisting essentially of, "consisting of, and the like are subsumed in "comprising," and the like. The words "preferred" and "preferably" refer to embodiments of the invention that may afford certain benefits, under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred, under the same or other circumstances. Furthermore, the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful, and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. Referring now to the drawings, in which some aspects of the present invention are illustrated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram front view of illustrative tobacco pouch with the flap in the open position.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram partial cross-sectional view of the tobacco pouch of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 in the open position.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram front view of illustrative tobacco pouch 10 with the flap 11 in the open position. The tobacco pouch 10 includes a front wall 12 and a back wall 14 connected to one another along a bottom edge 15 and opposing side edges 16, 18 and having an open top edge 13.

A flap 11 is depends from the back wall 14 and overlays the front wall 12 and has a free end 23. The flap 11 has an inner surface that contacts the front wall 12 outer surface and a width value that is substantially equal to the width value of the front wall 12. The front wall 12 has an inner surface and the back wall 14 has an inner surface that together defines a main pouch cavity that contains tobacco.

A pocket element 30 is fixed within the main pouch cavity. The pocket element 30 is defined by four side walls where three of the four side walls are affixed or heat sealed 32 to either the front wall 12 inner surface or the back wall 14 inner surface and the remaining side wall defines a pocket open edge 34.

A closure element 20 is disposed along the pocket open edge 34 and is configured to reseal or close the pocket open edge 34. The open top edge 13 and the pocket open edge 34 are illustrated as being parallel and coextensive along the width of the pocket open edge 34 (see FIG 1). The pocket open edge 34 extends along only a portion of the open top edge 13. The closure element 20 may close the open top edge 13.

The open top edge 13 of the pouch may include a closure element 21 that is separate from the closure element 20 sealing the pocket open edge 34 (See FIG. 2). In FIG. 2 the pouch closure element 21 is parallel and adjacent to the pocket closure element 20. Thus, the pouch closure element 21 may be opened first and then the pocket closure element 20 may be opened.

The exemplary embodiments described above are not limiting. Other embodiments consistent with the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art.