TOBACCO PRODUCT PACKAGE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tobacco product package that comprises at least two, preferably five or more, cylindrically shaped tobacco products aligned in an alignment direction. A wrapping is sheathed around the tobacco products and covers at least part of the outer surfaces of the aligned tobacco products. A tear strip is disposed in the alignment direction along the wrapping and is configured for tearing apart the wrapping when being pulled by a user. According to the present invention, the tear strip has at least one weakening line positioned in the vicinity of an interface of adjacent tobacco products.

Claims

1-18. (canceled)

19. A tobacco product package, comprising: at least two cylindrically shaped tobacco products aligned in an alignment direction; a wrapping covering at least part of the outer surfaces of the aligned tobacco products; and a tear strip disposed in the alignment direction along the wrapping and being configured for tearing apart the wrapping when being pulled by a user, characterized in that the tear strip has at least one weakening line positioned in the vicinity of an interface of adjacent tobacco products.

20. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein: the alignment direction is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction; and the wrapping covers at least part of the base areas and the lateral cylindrical surfaces of the aligned tobacco products.

21. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein: the at least two cylindrically shaped tobacco products are aligned in a longitudinal direction; the wrapping covers at least part of the lateral cylindrical surfaces of the aligned tobacco products; and the tear strip is disposed in the longitudinal direction.

22. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein the position of the at least one weakening line is shifted from the corresponding interface of adjacent tobacco products in a direction opposite to a tearing direction of the tear strip.

23. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein a cantilever portion of the tear strip extends over a terminal end of the wrapping in a direction opposite to a tearing direction of the tear strip.

24. The tobacco product package of claim 23, wherein the length of the cantilever portion corresponds to the distance between the interface of adjacent tobacco products and the corresponding weakening line.

25. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein the tear strip is configured for tearing off at the at least one weakening line when being pulled by a user.

26. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein the tear strip is attached to the wrapping.

27. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein the tear strip is formed integrally with the wrapping.

28. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein the tear strip is formed between two substantially parallel weakened tear lines of the wrapping that extend along the alignment direction.

29. The tobacco product package of claim 19, further comprising at least one breaking line extending circumferentially around the wrapping and being aligned with the interface of adjacent tobacco products.

30. The tobacco product package of claim 28, wherein the at least two weakened tear lines, the at least one weakening line, and the at least one breaking line are obtained by one process.

31. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein the at least one weakening line is formed by at least one local thinning, at least one cut or a plurality of perforations in the material of the tear strip.

32. The tobacco product package of claim 19, wherein the wrapping and/or the tear strip comprises at least one layer from paper, plastic material, or aluminum.

33. The tobacco product package of claim 28, wherein at least one layer is sheathed around the outer surfaces of the at least two tobacco products, wherein the at least one sheathed layer is joined with itself in at least one seam area or in an overlap area, and wherein at least one weakened tear line corresponds to at least one of the seam area and/or is positioned at the fringe of the overlap area, and/or wherein the tear strip corresponds to the overlap area.

34. A method for manufacturing a tobacco product package, comprising the steps of: aligning at least two cylindrically shaped tobacco products in an alignment direction; sheathing the aligned tobacco products by a wrapping layer; inserting into the wrapping layer at least two substantially parallel weakened tear lines extending along the alignment direction for forming a tear strip, inserting into the wrapping layer at least one weakened breaking line extending circumferentially around the wrapping and being aligned with the interface between adjacent tobacco products; and inserting into the tear strip at least one weakening line in the vicinity of an interface of adjacent tobacco products.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least two cylindrically shaped tobacco products are aligned in a longitudinal direction such that the base areas of the adjacent tobacco products face each other and wherein the weakened tear lines extend along the longitudinal direction.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the insertion of the at least two weakened tear lines, the at least one breaking line, and the at least one weakening line is performed by a laser, stamping, punching, ultra-sonic or cutting after or before sheathing the aligned tobacco products.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0046] Further aspects of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0047] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a tobacco product package according to a first embodiment;

[0048] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a tobacco product package according to a second embodiment;

[0049] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a tobacco product package according to a third embodiment;

[0050] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a tobacco product package according to a fourth embodiment; and

[0051] FIGS. 5a to 5c illustrate the process of opening a tobacco product package according to the fourth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0052] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a tobacco product package 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The tobacco product package 10 comprises four tobacco products 11 that are aligned in a longitudinal direction L such that base areas 15 of adjacent tobacco products 11 face each other at the interfaces 14 between adjacent tobacco products 11. The plurality of aligned tobacco products 11 are wrapped in a wrapping 20 that covers the lateral cylindrical surfaces 12 of the tobacco products 11. Although FIG. 1 illustrates four aligned tobacco products 11 other numbers are also possible.

[0053] Each of the tobacco products 11 is a heated tobacco product 11 comprising a filling of reconstituted tobacco that is treated with a glycerin-based substance and comprises a paper wrap around said filling. Each tobacco product 11 has a length of 15 mm in the longitudinal direction L, wherein the length is adapted to a corresponding cavity of a electronic device (not shown). However, other lengths, e.g. in the range of 6 mm to 100 mm, preferred 15 mm to 40 mm, are also possible. The diameter of each of the tobacco products 11 shown in FIG. 1 is about 7,8 mm. However, other diameters, such as diameters of about 4,5 mm to about 10 mm are also possible.

[0054] The tobacco product package 10 of FIG. 1 further comprises a tear strip 30 that is attached to the wrapping 20. Therein, the tear strip 30 is glued along its whole length to an outer surface of the wrapping 20. The tear strip 30 comprises a plurality of weakening lines 31, wherein each weakening line 31 is positioned in the vicinity of an interface 14 between adjacent tobacco products 11. Particularly, each weakening line 31 is spaced apart from its corresponding interface 14 in the longitudinal direction L. At a terminal end 23 of the wrapping, the tear strip 30 protrudes over the wrapping 20 and thus forms a cantilever portion 32. Therein, the length of the cantilever portion 32 in the longitudinal direction L equals the distance between the weakening lines 31 and the corresponding interfaces 14.

[0055] Each weakening line 31 is formed by a plurality of perforations extending in a width direction of the tear strip 30, i.e. substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L. A user that grabs the tear strip 30 at the cantilever portion 32 and pulls it into a tearing direction T opposite to the longitudinal direction L initially tears apart the wrapping 20 in a first section thereof, which corresponds to the outermost tobacco product 11. Therefore, the adhesive force of the glue between wrapping 20 and tear strip 30 exceeds the force required for tearing apart the wrapping 20. When the tear strip 30 is teared through the wrapping 20 and reaches the weakening line 31, the tear strip 30 ruptures at the weakening line 31 and the tearing of the wrapping 20 is discontinued. A force required for tearing apart the wrapping 20 is higher than the force required for tearing apart the tear strip 30.

[0056] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a tobacco product package 10 of a second embodiment with same features being denoted with like reference signs as in FIG. 1.

[0057] The tobacco product package 10 of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in that the wrapping 20 comprises a plurality of breaking lines 21 that extend around the perimeter of the wrapping 20 at the positions of the interfaces 14 between adjacent tobacco products 11 as shown in FIG. 1. Further, in the second embodiment the tear strip 30 is only partially adhered to the wrapping 20, wherein it is not adhered to the wrapping 20 in the vicinity of the interfaces 14 between tobacco products 11, i.e. the breaking lines 21.

[0058] Hence, if a user grabs the tear strip 30 at the cantilever portion 32 and pulls it in the tearing direction T, again a first section of the wrapping 20 corresponding to an outermost tobacco product is teared apart until the tear strip 30 ruptures at weakening line 31. Then, the user can remove the excess wrapping 20 by tearing it apart at the breaking line 21. Therewith, a new terminal end of the tobacco product package 10 is formed. The tear strip 30 extends to the position of the former weakening line 31 and thus protrudes over this new terminal end.

[0059] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a tobacco product package 10 of a third embodiment with same features being denoted with like reference signs as in FIGS. 1, 2.

[0060] In the third embodiment, the tear strip 30 is formed integral with the wrapping 20. Particularly, the tear strip 30 is formed by two weakened tear lines 22 that extend in parallel along the longitudinal direction L of the package 10. Particularly preferred, the weakened tear lines 22 as well as the weakening lines 31 are formed by a plurality of weakening locations, e.g. perforations. Therein, a depth and/or a size of the weakening locations of the weakening lines 31 exceed the depth of the weakening locations of the weakened tear lines 22. Thus, the tear strip 30 ruptures along weakening lines 31 at a lower pulling force than that required for tearing apart the tear strip 30 from the remaining wrapping 20 along the tearing lines 20.

[0061] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a tobacco product package 10 of a fourth embodiment with same features being denoted with like reference signs as in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0062] The tobacco product package 10 of the fourth embodiment differs from that of the third embodiment in that the wrapping 20 comprises a plurality of breaking lines 21 that extend partially around the perimeter of the wrapping 20 at the positions of the interfaces 14 between adjacent tobacco products 11 as shown in FIG. 3. Therein, the breaking lines 21 terminate at the weakened tearing lines 22, respectively, and do not extend across the tear strip 30. A weakening location across the full circumference of the wrapping 20 is however formed by the combination of a breaking line 21 and the corresponding weakening line 31.

[0063] The process of opening a tobacco product package according to the fourth embodiment is illustrated in more detail in the FIGS. 5a to 5c. In FIGS. 5a to 5c, solid lines indicate the interfaces 14 between adjacent tobacco products 11 and breaking lines 21 aligned with these interfaces 14.

[0064] In FIG. 5a the tobacco product package 10 as illustrated in FIG. 4 is shown in upright configuration. As only difference to the package 10 shown in FIG. 4, the weakening lines 31 are not straight lines but are formed in a curved manner between the tear lines 22. As further shown in FIG. 5a, a cantilever portion 32 protrudes over a terminal end of the wrapping 10 and provides a handle for a user to easily grab the tear strip 30.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 5b, if a user pulls the tear strip 30 in the tearing direction T, the tear strip 30 ruptures apart from the remaining wrapping 20 along the weakened tear lines 22. Once, the drawn tear strip 30 reaches the weakening line 31, the tear strip 30 ruptures apart from the remaining package 10 along the weakening line 31. Hence, the user can remove the torn-off portion 301 of the tear strip 30 such that a tip of the tear strip 30 protruding over the next breaking line 21 forms a new cantilever portion 32. The user can then remove the excess wrapping 20 along the breaking line 21 (not shown) or let it stay on the package 10.

[0066] As illustrated in FIG. 5c, by grabbing the cantilever portion 32 of the next section 302 of tear strip 30 and by pulling it in the tearing direction, the user can tear apart the next section of the wrapping 20. Therein, the tear strip 30 ruptures apart from the remaining wrapping 20 along the weakened tear lines 22 until it reaches the next weakening line 31. There, section 302 of tear strip 30 ruptures apart and is removed from the remaining package 10. Again, the user can then remove the excess wrapping 20 along the breaking line 21 (not shown) or let it stay on the package 10. With the tobacco product package 10 of the present invention, individual tobacco products are conveniently removed from a wrapping by utilizing a tear strip, wherein excess rupture of the wrapping is avoided and thus sealing is improved.