Pack for smoking articles provided with two rigid containers inside one another and with a reusable closing tab and method to manufacture the closing tab

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11427397-B2
Application number	US-202016868589-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2020
Priority date	May 8, 2019
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

A pack for smoking articles having: an inner container housing a group of smoking articles and provided with an extraction opening for the smoking articles; a closing tab coupled to the inner container in the area of the extraction opening to close the extraction opening, the closing tab being glued to the inner container in a releasable manner; a rigid outer container that houses the inner container; and a cup-shaped lid hinged to the outer container so as to rotate, relative to the outer container, between an opening position and a closing position. The closing tab has: a plastic layer arranged internally, a through opening arranged in the area of the extraction opening, and directly glued to an outer surface of the inner container using re-stick glue; and a paper layer arranged in contact with the plastic layer and more on the outside than the plastic layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles comprising:
a group ( 26 ) of smoking articles;
an inner container ( 14 ), which houses the group ( 26 ) of smoking articles and is provided with an extraction opening ( 20 ) for the smoking articles;
a closing tab ( 21 ), which is coupled to the inner container ( 14 ) in the area of the extraction opening ( 20 ), so as to close the extraction opening ( 20 ), and is provided with a re-stick glue ( 22 ) to glue the closing tab ( 21 ) to the inner container ( 14 ) in a releasable manner;
a rigid outer container ( 2 ) which is cup-shaped and houses the inner container ( 14 ); and
a lid ( 4 ), which is cup-shaped and is hinged to the outer container ( 2 ) so as to rotate, relative to the outer container ( 2 ), between an opening position and a closing position;
wherein the closing tab ( 21 ) comprises a first plastic layer ( 29 ), which is placed on an inner side of the closing tab ( 21 ) and is directly glued to an outer surface of the inner container ( 14 ) by means of the re-sick glue ( 22 );
wherein the closing tab ( 21 ) comprises a paper layer ( 30 ) which is arranged in contact with the first plastic layer ( 29 ) and on an outer side of the first plastic layer ( 29 ) opposite an inner side of the first plastic layer ( 29 ) glued to the outer surface of the inner container ( 14 ); and
wherein the first plastic layer ( 29 ) has a through opening ( 33 ), which is arranged in the area of the extraction opening ( 20 ).

2. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 1 , wherein the through opening ( 33 ) of the first plastic layer ( 29 ) has a size that is greater than the size of the extraction opening ( 20 ).

3. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 2 , wherein the through opening ( 33 ) of the first plastic layer ( 29 ) is larger than the extraction opening ( 20 ) by 1-3 mm per side.

4. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 1 , wherein the first plastic layer ( 29 ) is glued to the paper layer ( 30 ) by means of a non-separable glue.

5. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 1 , wherein the closing tab ( 21 ) comprises a metal layer ( 31 ), which is arranged in contact with the paper layer ( 30 ) and more on the outside than the paper layer ( 30 ).

6. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 5 , wherein the closing tab ( 21 ) comprises a second plastic layer ( 32 ), which is arranged in contact with the metal layer ( 31 ) and more on the outside than the metal layer ( 32 ).

7. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 6 , wherein the second plastic layer ( 32 ) is transparent.

8. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 6 , wherein the second plastic layer ( 32 ) is glued to the metal layer ( 31 ) by means of a non-separable glue.

9. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 6 , wherein the second plastic layer ( 32 ) is made of polyethylene terephthalate and has a thickness of 25-35 microns.

10. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 1 , wherein the paper layer ( 30 ) is made of paper having a basis weight of 30-40 grams/m 2 and has a thickness of 45-75 microns.

11. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 1 , wherein the first plastic layer ( 29 ) is made of polypropylene and has a thickness of 10-20 microns.

12. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 1 , wherein the closing tab ( 21 ) comprises a control flap ( 23 ) without the re-stick glue ( 22 ).

13. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 12 , wherein the closing tab ( 21 ) comprises a neutralizing paint ( 34 ), which covers the re-stick glue ( 22 ) in the area of the control flap ( 23 ) so as to make the re-stick glue ( 22 ) completely ineffective.

14. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 12 , wherein the control flap ( 23 ) is glued, in a permanent and non-separable manner, to an inner surface of the front wall ( 11 ) of the lid ( 4 ).

15. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 1 , wherein the group ( 26 ) of smoking articles has no inner wrap surrounding the same and is in direct contact with the inner container ( 14 ).

16. The pack ( 1 ) for smoking articles according to claim 1 , wherein:
a third plastic layer is provided, which is permanently glued to the outer surface of the inner container ( 14 ) and around the extraction opening ( 20 );
the re-stick glue ( 22 ) is interposed between the third plastic layer and the first plastic layer ( 29 ); and
at first, the third plastic layer is part of the closing tab ( 21 ) in order to be permanently glued to the outer surface of the inner container ( 14 ) when the closing tab ( 21 ) is applied to the inner container ( 14 ).

Assignees

• Gd Spa

Inventors

• Polloni Roberto
• Federici Luca

Classifications

• B31B50/622

  Applying glue on already formed boxes · CPC title

• B31D1/021

  Making adhesive labels having a multilayered structure, e.g. provided on carrier webs · CPC title

• Y02W30/80

  Packaging reuse or recycling, e.g. of multilayer packaging (bio-packaging Y02W90/10) · CPC title

• B65D85/10564 Primary

  having means for holding the lid in a closed position · CPC title

• B31D1/0043

  the articles being box parts not otherwise provided for · CPC title