Method for making an airtight wrapper and airtight wrapper thus obtained

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11584553-B2
Application number	US-201816639730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2018
Priority date	Aug 17, 2017
Publication date	Feb 21, 2023
Grant date	Feb 21, 2023

Abstract

An airtight wrapper having an assembly wrapped by a wrapping sheet made of a weldable material creating a group of smoking articles obtained by:
positioning the folded wrapping sheet to contact walls, front rear and head wall of the assembly, with flaps protruding beyond bottom and lateral walls;
welding lower and upper flaps, and defining a transverse edge;
folding the welded transverse edge rotating it by 180° toward the front wall;
folding the upper and lower transverse flaps;
folding the upper and lower transverse flaps;
folding the rear and front longitudinal flaps, and partly also the transverse edge, toward the lower lateral walls, overlapping one on top of the other above the transverse flaps, and finally welding them to seal the airtight wrapper.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method to make an airtight wrapper having a structured assembly completely wrapped by a wrapping sheet made of a weldable material, said structured assembly having a group of smoking articles partly wrapped by a reinforcement insert, said method comprising:
positioning the wrapping sheet, folded to a “U” shape, with respect to the structured assembly, so as to define a first larger panel and a second larger panel of said wrapping sheet in contact with respective larger walls, front and rear, of said structured assembly, and a first smaller panel of said wrapping sheet in contact with a smaller head wall of said structured assembly,
wherein said wrapping sheet, once positioned with respect to the structured assembly, respectively has:
an upper flap connected to said first larger panel and a lower flap connected to said second larger panel, said upper flap and said lower flap protruding beyond a smaller bottom wall of said structured assembly,
upper transverse flaps, connected to said first smaller panel, and protruding laterally from said smaller head wall,
rear, and front longitudinal flaps, respectively connected laterally to said first larger panel and to said second larger pane and which protrude beyond respective smaller lateral walls of said structured assembly;
bringing said lower flap and said upper flap nearer to each other and welding them to each other, defining:
a transverse edge formed by the welded lower flap and upper flap, disposed substantially aligned with said larger front wall,
a second smaller panel disposed folded, adjacent to said smaller bottom wall, between said second larger panel and said lower flap to which it is connected by a transverse folding line,
lower transverse flaps, connected to said second smaller panel, and protruding laterally from said smaller bottom wall and opposite said upper transverse flaps;
folding said transverse edge on said first larger panel and on said front longitudinal flaps, rotating said transverse edge by 180° along said transverse folding line toward said larger front wall of said structured assembly;
folding the upper and lower transverse flaps toward said smaller lateral walls;
folding the rear and front longitudinal flaps toward said smaller lateral walls, overlapping one on top of the other, and also part of said transverse edge, above said transverse flaps, and welding said rear and front longitudinal flaps with respect to each other to seal said airtight wrapper,
wherein said method further comprises:
making at least two cuts in said wrapping sheet, defining two free lateral fins and a central portion of said lower flap, said at least two cuts being made in a position such as to separate, before folding the lower transverse flaps toward said smaller lateral wall, said lower flap from the respective lower transverse flaps, so as to be able to fold said lower transverse flaps freely with respect to said transverse edge,
wherein, during the folding of said front longitudinal flaps, said lateral fins of said transverse edge overlap in a planar and extended shape, without substantial deformations, on said longitudinal flaps.

2. The method as in claim 1 , and including making on said wrapping sheet cutting lines that intersect said at least two cuts and form cut portions.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein said at least two cuts are made before positioning said wrapping sheet on said structured assembly.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein said at least two cuts are made after positioning said wrapping sheet around said structured assembly and before the folding of said lower transverse flaps.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein said at least two cuts are made in association with said transverse folding line.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein at least two cuts have an inclination with respect to said transverse folding line of an acute angle, larger than zero, and are symmetrical to each other with respect to a median longitudinal axis of said wrapping sheet.

7. The method as in claim 6 , wherein said cutting lines are made inclined with respect to said transverse folding line by an angle, smaller than said acute angle, wherein said smaller angle is larger than or equal to zero.

8. The method as in claim 1 , and including making further cuts, or cutting lines, between each lower transverse flap and the respective rear longitudinal flap.

9. The method as in claim 1 , and including making further cuts, or cutting lines, in correspondence with one or both sides of said upper transverse flaps, separating them from one or both the respective front and/or rear longitudinal flaps.

10. Method as in claim 1 , wherein at least two transverse flaps rest in a flat and extended shape on the respective lateral walls of said structured assembly.

11. An airtight wrapper comprising: a structured assembly completely wrapped by a wrapping sheet made of a weldable material, said structured assembly comprising a group of smoking articles partly wrapped by a reinforcement insert, said airtight wrapper comprising larger front and rear lateral walls, parallel and opposite each other and connected, on one side, by smaller lateral walls parallel and opposite each other, and on the other side, to a respective upper and lower wall, parallel and opposite each other, wherein said airtight wrapper comprises a transverse edge folded on said larger front lateral wall and formed by a lower flap and an upper flap of said wrapping sheet, welded overlapping one another, wherein said lower flap comprises a central portion connected to said lower wall and lateral fins disposed on one side and the other of said central portion and separated by a cut from respective lower transverse flaps arranged laterally from said lower wall and folded on said smaller lateral wall, wherein said lateral fins are folded on said smaller lateral walls and overlap without substantial deformations, on said smaller lateral walls.

12. The airtight wrapper as in claim 11 , wherein said smaller lateral walls are made by respective transverse flaps and longitudinal flaps overlapping each other, wherein at least two transverse flapsare folded on the respective lateral walls of said structured assembly and at least a pair of respective rear and/or front longitudinal flaps overlap in a flat and extended shape on said previously folded transverse flaps.

13. An airtight wrapper for a group of smoking articles, comprising:
a wrapping sheet made of a single sheet of weldable material and configured to wrap the group of smoking articles, said wrapping sheet comprising:
a large front panel and a large rear panel comprising a front wall and a rear wall, respectively, the front wall and the rear wall arranged to be positioned parallel and opposite each other when wrapping the group of smoking articles;
a first smaller panel separating the front and rear walls and configured to form an upper flap when wrapping the group of smoking articles;
a second smaller panel extending from either the first large panel or the second large panel and configured to form a lower flap opposite and parallel to the upper flap when wrapping the group of smoking articles,
the lower flap and the upper flap extending from the second smaller panel and either the first or the second large panel, from which the second bottom panel is not extending, the lower flap and the upper flap being configured to be welded when overlapping each other to be folded onto the front wall or the rear wall when wrapping the group of smoking articles;
wherein the lower flap that extends from the bottom panel comprises a central portion connected to the second smaller panel

Assignees

• Ima Spa

Inventors

• Tarozzi Luca

Classifications

• B65B19/22 Primary

  Wrapping the cigarettes; Packaging the cigarettes in containers formed by folding wrapping material around formers · CPC title

• B65B11/12

  and then to form closing folds of similar form at opposite ends of the tube · CPC title

• B65B11/42

  and then to form closing folds of similar form at opposite ends of the tube · CPC title

• B65D77/02

  Wrapped articles enclosed in rigid or semi-rigid containers · CPC title

• B65D85/1018

  Container formed by a flexible material, i.e. soft-packages · CPC title