Resealable container for consumer articles with improved moisture control

Abstract

A package (18) of consumer goods has an opening for removing the goods and a reclosable adhesive label (22) occluding the opening. The label (22) comprises a bottom layer (24) and a top layer (26). The bottom layer (24) is affixed to the package (18) by means of permanent adhesive provided on a first area (30) of the inner surface of the bottom layer extending about the periphery of the opening, the bottom layer comprising a cut-out portion (28) at least partly aligned with the opening of the package. The top layer (26) is at least partly affixed to the bottom layer (24) by permanent adhesive provided on a back hinge area (32) of the inner surface of the top layer, and at least partly releasably affixed to the bottom layer by means of a second adhesive provided on a peeling area (34) of the inner surface of the top layer extending distal from the hinge area (32). Thus, the top layer (26) is movable from a closed position, wherein it overlies at least the access opening, and an open position, wherein it is lifted off the bottom layer (24) to reveal the cut-out portion (28). The second adhesive is a permanent or semi-permanent adhesive and a layer of a release agent is provided between the bottom layer (24) and the top layer (26). In the closed position, a front end portion of the peeling area (34) of the inner surface of the top layer (26) at least partially overlies the release agent.

Claims

1. A resealable container for consumer goods comprising: a package of consumer goods, the package having an access opening through which consumer goods can be removed; and a reclosable adhesive label occluding the access opening of the package and extending beyond the periphery of the access opening of the package, wherein the reclosable adhesive label comprises at least a bottom layer and a top layer of labelling material; the bottom layer being affixed to the package by a first, permanent adhesive provided on a first area of the inner surface of the bottom layer extending about the periphery of the access opening, the bottom layer comprising a cut-out portion at least partly aligned with the access opening of the package; and the top layer being at least partly permanently affixed to the bottom layer by a permanent adhesive provided on a back hinge area of the inner surface of the top layer, and at least partly releasably affixed to the bottom layer by a second adhesive provided on a peeling area of the inner surface of the top layer extending distal from the hinge area, such that the top layer is movable from a closed position, wherein the top layer overlies at least the access opening, and an open position, wherein the top layer is lifted off the bottom layer to reveal the cut-out portion; wherein the second adhesive is a permanent adhesive and the resealable container further comprises a layer comprising a release agent provided between the bottom layer and the top layer and applied on a first area of the outer surface of the bottom layer, such that, in the closed position, a front end portion of the peeling area of the inner surface of the top layer at least partially overlies the first area of the outer surface of the bottom layer and the layer of release agent; wherein the first area of the outer surface of the bottom layer comprises at least a first region and a second region, the second region being at the back of the first region; and wherein a release agent coverage percentage in the first region is greater than a release agent coverage percentage than in the second region.

2. A resealable container according to claim 1, wherein the layer comprising the release agent is printed on the first area of the outer surface of the bottom layer.

3. A resealable container according to claim 1, wherein the release agent percentage coverage in the first region is from about 65 percent to about 95 percent.

4. A resealable container according to claim 1, wherein the release agent percentage coverage in the second region is from about 40 percent to about 60 percent.

5. A resealable container according to claim 1, wherein a second area of the outer surface of the bottom layer underlying the back hinge area of the inner surface of the top layer is substantially free of release agent.

6. A resealable container according to claim 1, wherein the cut-out portion in the inner layer is defined by lines of weakness at least partially delimiting a cover portion of the inner layer, such that the cover portion is partially separable from the remainder of the inner layer to be lifted off the top of the package to reveal the access opening, at least a portion of the outer surface of the cover portion being substantially free of release agent; and wherein the container comprises a layer of a permanent adhesive provided on a securing area of the inner surface of the top layer, a periphery of the securing area being entirely comprised within the periphery of the cover portion of the inner layer, such that the cover portion is permanently affixed to the outer layer.

7. A resealable container according to claim 1, wherein the package is formed from a thermosealable flexible material having a moisture vapour transmission rate (MTVR) of less than about 1 gram/square meter per 24 hours.

8. A resealable container according to claim 1, wherein the package is formed from a thermosealable flexible laminate material comprising two or more layers, wherein one of the two or more layers comprises aluminium and has a thickness of at least about 4 micrometers.

9. A resealable container according to claim 1, wherein the consumer goods are smoking articles.

10. A hinge lid container according to claim 8, wherein the top layer of the reclosable adhesive label is permanently affixed to an inner surface of the lid, such that upon opening the lid the top layer of the reclosable adhesive label is moved from the closed position towards the open position to at least partly reveal the access opening.

11. A hinge lid container according to claim 9, wherein the resealable container comprises a layer of a primer provided on a first area of the outer surface of the top layer arranged at the front end of the top layer.

12. A hinge lid container according to claim 9, wherein a peak peeling force of the reclosable adhesive label is less than about 10 Newtons.

13. A hinge lid container for consumer goods, comprising: a box; a lid hinged to the box along a hinge line extending across a back wall of the hinge lid container; and a resealable container according to claim 1 within the box.

Description

(1) The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container in accordance with the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the inner surface of the bottom layer of a label for a container in accordance with the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the outer surface of the bottom layer of the label of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the inner surface of the top layer of the label of FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the outer surface of the top layer of the label of FIG. 2;

(7) FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of the inner surface of the top layer of another embodiment of a label for a container in accordance with the present invention.

(8) FIG. 1 shows a container 10 in accordance with the present invention. The container 10 comprises an outer housing 12 which is a rectangular parallelepiped and includes a box 14 and a lid 16. The lid 16 is hinged about a hinge line extending across a back wall of the housing 12 and is pivotable between an open position (shown in FIG. 1) and a closed position. Further, the container 10 comprises an inner package 18 of smoking articles housed in the box 14. The inner package 18 comprises an access opening extending across the top wall and the front wall of the inner package. The smoking articles contained in the inner package 18 can be removed through the access opening when the lid 16 is in the open position. The inner package 18 comprises a reclosable adhesive label 22 occluding the access opening of the package and extending beyond the periphery of the access opening of the package. In more detail, the reclosable adhesive label 22 comprises at least a bottom layer 24 and a top layer 26 of labelling material. The bottom layer 24 comprises polypropylene and has a thickness of about 30 micrometers. The top layer 26 comprises polyethylene terephthalate and has a thickness of about 50 micrometers.

(9) The bottom layer 24 comprises a cut-out portion 28 at least aligned with the access opening 20 of the inner package 18 and is affixed to the inner package 18 by means of a first, permanent adhesive provided on a first area 30 of the inner surface of the bottom layer 24 (see FIG. 2) extending about the periphery of the access opening.

(10) The top layer 26 is partly permanently affixed to the bottom layer 24 by means of a permanent adhesive provided on a back hinge area 32 of the inner surface of the top layer 26 (see FIG. 4). In addition, the top layer 26 is partly releasably affixed to the bottom layer 24 by means of a second adhesive provided on a peeling area 34 of the inner surface of the top layer (see FIG. 5) extending distal from the back hinge area 32, such that the top layer 26 is movable from a closed position, wherein the top layer 26 overlies at least the access opening 20, and an open position, wherein the top layer 26 is lifted off the bottom layer 24 to reveal the cut-out portion 28. The second adhesive is a permanent adhesive. The top layer 26 is also permanently affixed to an inner surface of the lid 16, such that upon opening the lid 16 the top layer 26 of the reclosable adhesive label 22 is moved from the closed position towards the open position to at least partly reveal the access opening 20.

(11) In addition, the resealable container 10 comprises a layer comprising a silicone based release agent provided between the bottom layer 24 and the top layer 26, such that, in the closed position, a front end portion of the peeling area 34 of the inner surface of the top layer at least partially overlies the layer comprising the release agent. In more detail, the layer comprising the release agent is applied by printing on a first area 36 of the outer surface of the bottom layer 24 (see FIG. 3), the front end portion of the peeling area 34 of the inner surface of the top layer 26 at least partially overlying the first area 36 of the outer surface of the bottom layer 24.

(12) As illustrated in FIG. 3, the first area 36 of the outer surface of the bottom layer 24 comprises at least a first region 38, a second region 40, and a third region 42. The second region 40 is substantially adjacent to, and at the back of, the first region 38. The third region 42 is substantially adjacent to, and at the back of, the second region 40. In the first region 38, the release agent coverage percentage is about 95 percent. In the second region 40, the release agent coverage percentage is about 80 percent. In the third region 42, the release agent coverage percentage is about 50 percent.

(13) A second area 44 of the outer surface of the bottom layer 24 underlying the back hinge area 30 of the inner surface of the top layer 26 is substantially free of release agent. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a further area 46 of the inner surface of the top layer arranged at the front end of the top layer 26 is substantially free of adhesive.

(14) In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the cut-out portion 28 in the inner layer 24 is defined by lines of weakness 48 at least partially delimiting a cover portion 50 of the inner layer 24. Thus, the cover portion 50 is partially separable from the remainder of the inner layer 24 to be lifted off the top of the inner package 18 to reveal the access opening 20. At least a portion of the outer surface of the cover portion 50 is substantially free of release agent. Further, the container 10 comprises a layer of a permanent adhesive provided on a securing area 52 of the inner surface of the top layer (see FIG. 4), a periphery of the securing area being entirely comprised within the periphery of the cover portion 50 of the inner layer. Thus, the cover portion 50 is permanently affixed to the outer layer 24.

(15) As illustrated in FIG. 5, a layer of primer is provided on a first area 54 of the outer surface of the top layer arranged at the front end of the top layer 26. The top layer 26 of the reclosable adhesive label 22 is strongly affixed to the lid 16 of the outer housing 12 by a permanent adhesive provided over the layer of primer in the first area 54.

(16) A further embodiment of a reclosable adhesive label for use in a container in accordance with the present invention is illustrated with reference to FIG. 6, which shows the inner surface of the top layer 126 of the reclosable adhesive label. The top layer 126 may, for example, be combined with the bottom layer of FIGS. 2 and 3 to provide a reclosable adhesive label for use in a container in accordance with the present invention.

(17) In one such embodiment, a layer of permanent adhesive is provided on a securing area 152 of the inner surface of the top layer 126. The securing area 152 overlies the entirety of the cover portion in the bottom layer, and effectively extends all the way back to the back hinge area 130. Thus, the hinge area 132 and the securing area 152 together form a substantially T-shaped area comprising permanent adhesive on the inner surface of the top layer. The back hinge area 130 defines a crossbar of the T shape, with the securing area 152 defining a bulky stem of the T shape. Further, a tab-defining area 146 of the inner surface of the top layer arranged at the front end of the top layer 126 is substantially free of adhesive.