Method of forming multi-compartment tobacco pouch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11155374-B2
Application number	US-201716093901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2017
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

Methods of forming a tobacco pouch having two or more compartments are disclosed. The methods include forming a multi-compartment tobacco pouch with a vertical form fill seal machine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a multi-compartment pouch with a vertical form fill seal machine, comprising:
providing a film tube having a length extending along a machine direction and a width extending along a transverse direction;
sealing a bottom edge of the film tube with a first transverse heat seal and forming a first tobacco compartment;
filling the first tobacco compartment with an amount of tobacco;
sealing the first tobacco compartment at a first position along the length of the film tube at a first distance from the bottom edge with a second transverse heat seal to enclose the first tobacco compartment forming a first side comprising a first portion of the film tube and a second, opposing side comprising a second portion of the film tube and forming a second tobacco accessory compartment;
sealing the second tobacco accessory compartment at a second position along the length of the film tube at a second distance from the bottom edge, the second distance being greater than the first distance, with a third transverse heat seal to enclose the second tobacco accessory compartment forming a first side comprising a third portion of the film tube and a second, opposing side comprising a fourth portion of the film tube and wherein the enclosed second tobacco accessory compartment being free of tobacco;
disposing a tobacco accessory within the second tobacco accessory compartment prior to the sealing of the second tobacco accessory compartment with the third transverse heat seal; and
forming a reclosable access opening in one of the first and second sides of at least one of the first and second compartments, wherein the reclosable access opening comprises a foldable flap.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the first tobacco compartment.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the second tobacco accessory compartment and disposing a tobacco accessory within the second tobacco accessory compartment.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the first tobacco compartment.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the first tobacco compartment.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising folding the second tobacco accessory compartment onto the first tobacco compartment and about the second transverse heat seal.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second tobacco accessory compartment is configured to contain cigarette paper.

8. A method of forming a multi-compartment pouch with a vertical form fill seal machine, comprising:
providing a film tube having a length extending along a machine direction and a width extending along a transverse direction;
sealing a bottom edge of the film tube with a first transverse heat seal and forming a first tobacco compartment;
filling the first tobacco compartment with a first amount of tobacco;
sealing the first tobacco compartment at a first position along the length of the film tube at a first distance from the bottom edge with a second transverse heat seal to enclose the first tobacco compartment forming a first side comprising a first portion of the film tube and a second, opposing side comprising a second portion of the film tube and forming a second tobacco compartment;
filling the second tobacco compartment with a second amount of tobacco;
sealing the second tobacco compartment at a second position along the length of the film tube at a second distance from the bottom edge, the second distance being greater than the first distance, with a third transverse heat seal to enclose the second tobacco compartment forming a first side comprising a third portion of the film tube and a second, opposing side comprising a fourth portion of the film tube and forming a third tobacco accessory compartment;
sealing the third tobacco accessory compartment at a third position along the length of the film tube at a third distance from the bottom edge, the third distance being greater than the second distance, with a fourth transverse heat seal to enclose the third tobacco accessory compartment forming a first side comprising a fifth portion of the film tube and a second, opposing side comprising a sixth portion of the film tube and wherein the third tobacco accessory compartment is free of tobacco;
disposing a tobacco accessory within the third tobacco accessory compartment prior to the sealing of the third tobacco accessory compartment with the fourth transverse heat seal; and
forming a reclosable access opening in one of the first and second sides of at least one of the first, second, and third compartments, wherein the reclosable access opening comprises a foldable flap.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the third tobacco accessory compartment and disposing a tobacco accessory within the third tobacco accessory compartment.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the first tobacco compartment and the second tobacco compartment.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the third tobacco accessory compartment and disposing a tobacco accessory within the third tobacco accessory compartment.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the first tobacco compartment and the second tobacco compartment.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the forming a reclosable access opening includes forming a reclosable access opening in the first tobacco compartment and the second tobacco compartment.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising folding the first tobacco compartment onto the second tobacco compartment and folding the third tobacco accessory compartment onto the first tobacco compartment.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first amount of tobacco is a different tobacco or tobacco blend than the second amount of tobacco.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein the third tobacco accessory compartment is configured to contain cigarette paper.

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Thesing Onesio Luis
• Singh Digvijay

Classifications

• B65B2220/14

  Adding more than one type of material or article to the same package · CPC title

• B65B29/00

  Packaging of materials presenting special problems · CPC title

• B65B9/2056 Primary

  Machines for packages of special type or form · CPC title

• B65B2220/22

  Interconnected packages concurrently produced from the same web, the packages not being separated from one another · CPC title

• B65B2230/02

  Containers having separate compartments isolated from one another (B65B29/10 and B65B2220/16 take precedence) · CPC title