Package of smoking articles and corresponding method of production

Abstract

A flexible package (100) of smoking articles (200) comprising both at least one inner containment shell (10) for holding together smoking articles (200), the inner containment shell comprising at least one cladding sheet (110) shaped and folded to form the at least one containment shell (10), and an outer containment body (101), the outer containing body (101) is made of a flexible material to laterally cover the at least one inner containing shell (10), so that the upper wall (11) of the outer containing body (101) is exposed, and the upper wall (11) can be directly touched by a consumer. The upper wall (11) comprises at least one removable area (21) delimited by a closed profile (C) precut on at least one cladding sheet (110).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging of smoking articles, comprising an outer containing body made of a flexible material and an inner containing shell configured to be inserted into the containing body and to contain an organic group of smoking articles. For example, the present invention can be applied to the field of soft packaging of smoking articles, understood here as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos or similar products. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing the packaging of said smoking articles. Background Art

[0002] Smoking articles are traditionally packaged and sold in hard or soft packages having an outer containing body made of a sheet material, for example cardboard, paperboard, paper or similar material, such as those described in patent documents US1.458.977, WO2019 / 121799 and WO2016 / 087829.

[0003] For the purposes of the present invention, flexible packaging is of particular importance. The latter is provided with a containing body which is open at the top and is made of a very thin (in the order of a tenth of a millimeter) sheet of paper so as to have a consistency which is considered soft or pliable to the touch.

[0004] Before packaging, smoking articles are usually grouped and arranged so that they generally define a parallelepiped, around which an inner containment shell (also called inner wrapper) is then wrapped; the inner containment shell is then inserted into an outer containment body to form a package.

[0005] The inner containment shell is usually made of a flat foil-wrapped sheet or metallized paper, which preserves in the best possible way the quality and organoleptic properties of the smoking article present inside it.

[0006] In the prior art, the wrapping sheet is first wrapped around the group of smoking articles from three sides, folded into a "U" shape; subsequently, the part of the wrapping sheet protruding relative to the group of smoking articles is folded around the group to wrap the group, and then completely close it. In particular, the containment shell is made without a closing flap on the lower wall and is arranged to contact the rear end of the smoking articles, i.e. the end of the smoking articles that are lit. Instead, the upper wall of the containment shell is defined by a closing flap, which closes the top of the group of smoking articles and is arranged to contact the mouthpiece end of the group of smoking articles.

[0007] Typically, the containment shell is inserted into the containment body so that the lower wall is arranged on the bottom of the package, while the upper wall is exposed to the view of the consumer and accessible, thereby allowing the smoking article to be extracted.

[0008] Furthermore, in known flexible packages sold in many countries, in order to keep the closing flaps of the upper wall of the containing shell folded over each other and prevent the latter from escaping from the upper opening of the containing body, a printed element (such as a government stamp or an excise stamp) is laterally bonded to the upper wall and the two large walls of the containing body.

[0009] A disadvantage of known soft packages, in view of the presence of the printed element, is that, in order to extract the cigarettes from the containing shell, the consumer must create an orifice by tearing off some portion of the closing flap of the upper wall, thereby risking damaging the structural integrity of the containing shell itself. Summary of the invention

[0010] There is therefore a need for an improved flexible packaging for smoking articles which can at least overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0011] To this end, there is a need to solve the technical problem of producing a flexible package of smoking articles in which, in order to extract the smoking articles, it is not necessary to tear open a portion of the closing cover sheet of the inner containing shell to make an orifice.

[0012] In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible package of smoking articles and to perfect a corresponding production method, by means of which an orifice for removing the smoking articles can be easily and quickly produced without risking damage to the integrity of the internal containing shell.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a soft package of smoking articles that is easy to produce and has limited production costs.

[0014] The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

[0015] The invention is set forth and described in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

[0016] According to the above-mentioned purpose, in order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems in a novel and original way and to achieve significant advantages over the prior art, the soft packaging of smoking articles according to the present invention comprises at least one internal containing shell for holding the smoking articles together and an external containing body, the internal containing shell comprising at least one covering sheet, the covering sheet being formed and folded to define an upper wall, a first large wall and a second large wall parallel to and opposite to each other, a first side wall and a second side wall opposite to and perpendicular to the first and second large walls, and a lower wall parallel to the upper wall and arranged on the opposite side of the upper wall relative to the smoking article, thereby forming at least one said containing shell; the external containing body is preferably made of a flexible material, has a substantially parallelepiped shape, and is provided with at least two large side walls and two small side walls, which are arranged to laterally cover at least one said internal containing shell so that at least a portion of the upper wall of at least one said internal containing shell is exposed, so that the upper wall can be directly touched by consumers.

[0017] According to one aspect of the invention, at least one wrapper sheet is folded into a "U" shape so that the upper wall between the first and second large walls is in a position where there is no overlapping portion of the wrapper sheet. The upper wall comprises at least one removable area defined by a closed contour precut in at least one wrapper sheet, the removable area being configured to be removable to leave an orifice through which the smoking article can be extracted; at least one first portion of the closed contour being arranged on at least one portion of the exposed upper wall.

[0018] According to another aspect of the invention, the upper wall is defined by two small upper edges and two large upper edges.

[0019] According to another aspect of the invention, the at least one first portion of the removable area extends transversely between the two large upper edges.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, the removable area further includes at least one second portion, which is formed on at least one of the first or second large walls, or corresponds to at least one of the first or second side walls.

[0021] According to another aspect of the invention, the removable area comprises two second portions mirror-made on the first and second large walls.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, the two second portions formed in mirror images on the first and second large walls are identical to each other.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, the removable area is provided with at least one opening cover sheet, which is defined by an additional contour precut on the covering sheet and is completely arranged within the closed contour, so that the precut additional contour of the at least one opening cover sheet and the precut closed contour of the removable area are not connected, and the opening cover sheet is configured to be grasped and lifted relative to the surrounding removable area to facilitate complete removal of the removable area.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, the opening cover piece is manufactured so that one side thereof is adjacent to an upper edge selected from the two large upper edges or the two small upper edges.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present invention, the pre-cut additional contour of the at least one opening flap is configured to be folded along an upper edge adjacent thereto.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present invention, at least one flat covering sheet is divided into: a central panel, which is configured to define an upper wall when folded; a first large panel and a second large panel, which are adjacent to the central panel at the top and bottom and are configured to define the first large wall and the second large wall respectively when folded; a small rear cover sheet adjacent to the first large panel and a small front cover sheet adjacent to the second large panel, which are configured to define a lower wall when folded and at least partially overlap each other.

[0027] In addition, there is a corresponding central cover piece on the side of the central panel, a corresponding rear cover piece and a corresponding front cover piece on the sides of the first and second large panels, and a corresponding corner cover piece on the sides of the small rear cover piece and the small front cover piece; the central cover piece, the rear cover piece, the front cover piece and the corner cover piece are configured to define the first and second side walls when they are folded and at least partially overlapped.

[0028] According to another aspect of the invention, the containing body is further provided with a bottom wall against which the lower wall of the at least one inner containing shell rests during use.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention, the package includes two internal containing shells, each containing shell is made of its own covering sheet, wherein the two containing shells are arranged side by side with each other so that one of the first or second side walls of one containing shell contacts the other of the second or first side walls of the other containing shell, and the upper wall of each containing shell correspondingly includes a removable area so that the smoking articles contained in each containing shell can be touched by consumers.

[0030] In particular, the present invention also relates to an internal accommodating shell for holding smoking articles together, comprising a covering sheet, which is formed and folded to define an upper wall, a first large wall and a second large wall parallel to and opposite to each other, a first side wall and a second side wall opposite to each other and perpendicular to the first and second large walls, and a lower wall parallel to the upper wall and arranged on the opposite side of the upper wall relative to the smoking articles, the upper wall being defined by two small upper edges and two large upper edges.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present invention, the covering sheet is folded into a "U" shape so that the upper wall between the first and second large walls is located at a position where there is no overlapping portion of the covering sheet.

[0032] According to another aspect of the invention, the upper wall comprises a removable region, the removable region being defined by a closed contour precut on the wrapper sheet and being configured to be removable to leave an aperture through which the smoking article can be extracted. The removable region comprises a first portion extending laterally between two large upper edges and at least one second portion formed on the first or second large wall. The removable region is adjacent to or in contact with one of the two small upper edges, and is therefore asymmetrically positioned in the upper wall.

[0033] According to one aspect of the present invention, the removable area is provided with at least one opening cover sheet, which is defined by an additional contour precut on the covering sheet and is completely arranged within the closed contour, so that the precut additional contour of the at least one opening cover sheet and the precut closed contour of the removable area are not connected, and the opening cover sheet is configured to be grasped and lifted relative to the surrounding removable area to facilitate complete removal of the removable area.

[0034] According to one aspect of the present invention, a soft package for smoking articles is provided, which includes two internal containing shells arranged side by side for holding the smoking articles together, and an external containing body made of flexible material, the external containing body having a basically parallelepiped shape and provided with two large side walls and two small side walls, which are arranged to laterally cover the two internal containing shells so that the upper walls of the two internal containing shells are exposed.

[0035] According to another aspect of the invention, the upper wall of each of the two containing shells comprises a removable area defined by a closed contour precut on the wrapper sheet and configured to be removable to define an orifice through which the smoking article can be extracted from the respective containing shell.

[0036] According to these aspects of the invention, the removable area of ​​each of the two containing shells can be of the type described in detail in the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, it is obvious that it can also have any other construction as long as it is defined by a closed contour and is suitable for allowing the user to easily remove it to define an orifice through which the smoking article can be extracted.

[0037] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a soft package of smoking articles is provided, the soft package comprising at least one inner containing shell for holding the smoking articles together and an outer containing body preferably made of flexible material, the outer containing body having a substantially parallelepiped shape and provided with at least two large side walls and two small side walls; wherein, in order to manufacture at least one containing shell, the method comprises a forming step and a plurality of folding steps, wherein at least one substantially flat wrapping sheet is first formed and then folded into a sheet defining an upper wall, a first large wall and a second large wall parallel to and opposite to each other, a first side wall and a second side wall opposite to and perpendicular to the large wall, and a lower wall parallel to the upper wall and arranged on the opposite side of the upper wall relative to the smoking article.

[0038] In particular, it is provided in the forming step that the upper wall between the first and second large walls is a non-overlapping portion of the wrapper sheet, and the first and second large walls extend from the upper wall so as to contact the side surface of the smoking article.

[0039] According to another aspect of the invention, the method provides that a closed contour defining a removable area is cut out on the upper wall of the wrapper sheet, the removable area being configured to be removed so as to leave an aperture through which the smoking article can be extracted. Furthermore, the method comprises an insertion step in which at least one inner containment shell is inserted into the containment body so as to expose the upper wall of at least one containment shell so that the removable area can be directly touched by the consumer.

[0040] According to another aspect of the invention, during the forming step, the closed contour is cut such that the removable area comprises at least one first portion extending transversely between two large upper edges of the upper wall.

[0041] According to another aspect of the invention, in the molding step, the closed contour is cut so that the removable area also includes at least one second portion, which is made corresponding to at least one of the first or second large walls or corresponding to one of the first or second side walls.

[0042] According to another aspect of the invention, during the forming step, an additional contour is cut out on the at least one covering sheet completely within the closed contour, the additional contour being arranged not to be connected to the closed contour and defining an opening cover of the removable area.

[0043] According to another aspect of the present invention, the plurality of folding steps include at least a first folding step, in which at least one wrapping sheet is initially folded into a "U" shape and symmetrically centered on the smoking article, so that the central panel of at least one wrapping sheet (wherein there is a first portion) contacts the mouth end of the smoking article, and the first and second large panels of at least one wrapping sheet (wherein there may be at least one second portion) contact the side surface of the smoking article. In addition, when the wrapping sheet is folded into a "U" shape on the smoking article, the corresponding small rear cover sheet, the corresponding small front cover sheet, the corresponding central cover sheet, the corresponding rear side cover sheet, the corresponding front side cover sheet, and the corresponding corner cover sheet of at least one wrapping sheet protrude relative to the smoking article, and then fold and close so as to overlap and define the lower wall and side walls of at least one internal accommodating shell, respectively.

[0044] According to another aspect of the present invention, the plurality of folding steps further include in sequence: a second folding step, in which the central cover sheet is folded toward the smoking article to define an upper wall; a third folding step, in which the small rear cover sheet is folded against the rear end of the smoking article, and then the small front cover sheet is folded against the small rear cover sheet; a fourth folding step, in which the corner cover sheet is folded against the smoking article to define a lower wall; and a fifth folding step, in which the rear side cover sheet is folded against the smoking article to define a first large wall, and then the front side cover sheet is folded against the already folded rear side cover sheet to define both the second large wall and the side walls. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0046] - Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a packaging of a smoking article according to the present invention in a use state;

[0047] - Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Another three-dimensional view of a package of smoking articles of , wherein some elements have been removed for clarity;

[0048] - Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of an interior containing shell of a package of smoking articles;

[0049] - Figure 4 is a three-dimensional view of a containing shell according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] - Figure 5 Is manufacturing Figure 3 A top view of a cover sheet containing a housing;

[0051] - Figures 6 to 11 It is used to manufacture Figure 3 The housing and Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the operating sequence of the packaging of smoking articles;

[0052] - Fig.12 is a three-dimensional view of a package of smoking articles according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] - Fig.13 is a three-dimensional view of a package of smoking articles according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0054] We must clarify that in this description, the words and terms used as well as the figures in the drawings have only the function of better illustrating and explaining the invention, and their function is to provide a non-limiting example of the invention itself, since the scope of protection is defined by the claims.

[0055] For ease of understanding, the same reference numerals are used as much as possible to denote the same common elements in the figures. It is understood that the elements and features of one embodiment can be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further explanation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] refer to Figure 1 The soft package 100 of smoking articles according to the present invention comprises an outer containing body 101 of substantially parallelepiped shape made of flexible material, and at least one containing shell 10 for holding the smoking articles 200 together, which can be inserted into the containing body 101 with minimal clearance as described above.

[0057] The containing body 101 is open at the top, that is, it includes an upper opening, and is provided with two large side walls 102, 103, two small side walls 105, 106 and a bottom wall 107. Optionally, the containing body 101 may also be open at the bottom, so that the bottom wall 107 is not provided.

[0058] According to a possible embodiment of the present invention, the containing body 101 is basically soft, that is, it is made of very thin (one tenth of a millimeter) paper sheets, which gives it a consistency such as being considered soft or pliable to the touch. Therefore, when the containing body 101 is a basically soft type, the embodiment described here relates to a soft type of packaging 100.

[0059] Optionally, the containing body 101 may be made of one or more thicker paper sheets, with a thickness of the order of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. In this way, the package 100 has a substantially more solid structure, which allows for better protection of the integrity of the smoking article 200 present therein.

[0060] The smoking articles 200 are generally grouped and organized so that they define a substantially parallelepiped as a whole. In addition, each smoking article 200 comprises: a mouthpiece end 201 ( Figure 2 ), which is configured to correspond to the consumer's mouth and may be provided with a filter; a rear end or ignition end 202 ( Figure 6 ), which is opposite to the mouthpiece end 201 and can be ignited to smoke the smoking article 200; and an outer side surface 203.

[0061] The housing 10 is formed from a corresponding flexible flat cover sheet 110 ( Figure 5 ) is manufactured starting with a wrapper sheet having a rectangular development and configured to appropriately wrap around a group of smoking articles 200, as will be described in detail below.

[0062] Preferably, the wrapper sheet 110 is made of a water-impermeable material, such as a foil, which is better able to preserve the quality and sensory properties of the smoking article 200 presented therein.

[0063] In particular, the cover sheet 110 is formed and folded so as to accommodate the housing 10 ( Figure 2 and Figure 3 ) comprises: an upper wall 11, which contacts the mouth end 201 of the smoking article 200 during use; a first large wall 12 and a second large wall 13, which are parallel to and opposite to each other, and contact the side surface 203 of the smoking article 200 during use; a first side wall 15 and a second side wall 16, which are opposite to each other and perpendicular to the first large wall 12 and the second large wall 13; and a lower wall 17, which is opposite to and parallel to the upper wall 11, and contacts the rear end 202 of the smoking article 200 during use.

[0064] We must clarify that the term "during use" refers to the state in which the housing 10 together with the smoking article 200 therein is inserted into the housing body 101 to form the package 100 ( Figure 1 and Figure 2 Specifically, in this state, the upper wall 11 is exposed to the field of vision, and the lower wall 17 is in contact with the bottom wall 107 of the receiving body 100.

[0065] like Figure 3 As shown, the upper wall 11 is delimited by two small upper edges or borders 19 and two large upper edges or borders 20 .

[0066] According to one aspect of the invention, the upper wall 11 comprises at least one removable area 21, which is defined by a pre-cut closed contour C on the wrapper sheet 110, preferably having a non-continuous cut or perforation, and the removable area 21 is configured to be removable so as to define an orifice through which the smoking article 200 can be extracted.

[0067] A large part of the extension of the removable area 21 extends over the upper wall 11 .

[0068] The removable area 21 is arranged adjacent to or in contact with one of the two small upper edges 19; in particular, the closed contour C is substantially rectangular, one of the larger sides of which overlaps one of the two small upper edges 19. The removable area 21 is thus in contact with one of the two small upper edges 19 and is asymmetrically positioned in the upper wall 11; this has the advantage that the removable area 21 does not occupy, or may occupy to a lesser extent, the central area of ​​the upper wall 11, in which the printed element 121 is usually arranged transversely, as will be described in more detail below ( Figure 1 ).

[0069] In addition, the closed contour C is made so that the removable area 21 includes: a first portion 21a, which extends laterally from one large upper edge 20 to the other large upper edge; and at least one second portion 21b, which is created on at least one of the first or second large walls 12 or 13. In the example given here, the removable area 21 includes two second portions 21b, which are equal to each other and are mirror-imaged on the first large wall 12 and the second large wall 13, respectively. Please note that during use, the two second portions 21b will not be completely exposed to the sight because they are basically covered by the containing body 101. The presence of the portion 21b has the advantage that once the removable area 21 is removed, it is easier for the consumer to grip the smoking article 200; in fact, in this way, a small portion of the side surface 203 can also be gripped without destroying the integrity of the containing shell 10.

[0070] The removable area 21 is provided with at least one opening cover sheet 23, which is defined by an additional contour pre-cut on the wrapping sheet 110 and, as described above, is configured to be grasped and lifted by the consumer relative to the surrounding removable area 21 to facilitate complete removal of the removable area and thereby extraction of the smoking article 200.

[0071] According to here special reference Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 5-11 In one embodiment described, the opening flap 23 is completely arranged within the closed contour C, so that the additional pre-cut contour forming the opening flap 23 and the pre-cut closed contour C do not meet.

[0072] Advantageously, the opening cover 23 is made so that one side thereof is adjacent to one or the other of the two large upper edges 20, so that at least a portion thereof can be lifted, or it can be lifted autonomously, for the convenience of consumers to identify and grasp.

[0073] In other embodiments not shown, the opening flap 23 is made so that one side thereof is adjacent to one or the other of the two small upper edges 19 .

[0074] In any case, whether the opening flap 23 is adjacent to the small upper edge 19 or the large upper edge 20, the additional pre-cut contour defining at least one opening flap 23 is configured to be folded along the upper edge adjacent thereto.

[0075] According to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 As shown, the containment housing 10 is provided with a removable area 21, which in this case constitutes a first removable area, and a second removable area 21', which is made at a symmetrical position relative to the first removable area on the upper wall 11. In this case, the central area of ​​the upper wall 11 defined by the removable areas 21 and 21' must be wide enough to ensure that the upper wall 11 and therefore the containment housing 10 have sufficient structural resistance.

[0076] Covering sheet 110( Figure 5 ) Although advantageously a single piece, it can be divided into: a central panel 111, which is configured to define the upper wall 11 when the piece is folded; first and second large panels 112 and 113, which are adjacent to the central panel 111 and configured to define the first large wall 12 and the second large wall 13, respectively, when folded; a rear small cover piece 117a adjacent to the first large panel 112 and a front small cover piece 117b adjacent to the second large panel 113, which are configured to define the lower wall 17 when folded and at least partially overlap each other.

[0077] In addition, central cover pieces 119 are respectively provided on the sides of the central panel 111, corresponding rear cover pieces 115a and 116a and corresponding front cover pieces 115b and 116b are provided on the sides of the first and second large panels 112 and 113, and corresponding corner cover pieces 120 are provided on the sides of the rear and front small cover pieces 117a and 117b. The central cover piece 119, the rear cover pieces 115a and 116a, the front cover pieces 115b and 116b, and the corner cover pieces 120 are configured to define the first and second side walls 15 and 16 when folded and at least partially overlap each other, as will be described in detail below.

[0078] like Figure 5As shown, the closed contour C of the removable area 21 is made on the central panel 111 adjacent to one of the central covers 119, and the two portions 21b are made symmetrically on the first and second large panels 112 and 113. As an example, the closed contour C can be made by die cutting.

[0079] As described above, according to a feasible embodiment of the present invention, a printed element 121 ( Figure 1 ). As a non-limiting example, the printed element 121 may be a government stamp, excise stamp, or other stamp that indicates successful payment of taxes and / or excise duties, which typically needs to be torn or separated into two parts.

[0080] Advantageously, since the upper wall 11 in the present invention has no folding flap, the printed element 121 can be arranged longitudinally relative to the upper wall 11, i.e. not transversely, and partially overlaps with the removable area 21, so that by removing the latter, a part of the printed element 121 is also advantageously removed. This relative arrangement between the removable area 21 and the printed element 121 means that the latter also acts as an anti-tampering element configured to tear when the package 100 is opened for the first time; therefore, its integrity guarantees the consumer that the package 100 is intact. Advantageously, when the package 100 has not yet been opened for the first time, the printed element 121 also acts as a closure strip, which prevents the containment shell 10 from accidentally falling off from the external containment body 101.

[0081] according to Fig.12 In another embodiment shown, the package 100 includes two inner containing shells 10 for holding together the smoking articles 200 as described above. In particular, the two shells 10 are arranged side by side with each other, wherein one of the corresponding first or second side walls 15 or 16 of one containing shell 10 is in contact with the other of the corresponding second or first side walls 16 or 15 of the other containing shell 10, thereby keeping the removable area 21 of each containing shell 10 accessible to the consumer, i.e. exposed to view.

[0082] It is noted that the dimensions of the containing shell 10 and therefore of the wrapper sheet 110 of which it is made are adapted to the number of smoking articles 200 they need to contain and also to the dimensions of the pack 100 .

[0083] For example, while keeping the size of the aforementioned package 100 unchanged, the width ( Fig.12 and Fig.13 )yes Figures 1 to 4 Half the width of the accommodating housing 10 shown in FIG.

[0084] like Fig.12As shown, two containing shells 10 are arranged inside the package 100 in such a way that the corresponding removable areas 21 are symmetrical to each other, ie arranged close to the outer small upper edge 19 , leaving the central area free for a possible arrangement of a printed element 121 .

[0085] exist Fig.12 In the illustrated embodiment, the two accommodating shells 10 are arranged such that the opening flaps 23 of the corresponding removable areas 21 are located on the same side, that is, close to the same large side wall 102 or 103 of the package 100 .

[0086] according to Fig.13 In another embodiment shown, two accommodating shells 10 are arranged so that the opening flaps 23 of the corresponding removable areas 21 are located on two sides opposite to each other, that is, one opening flap 23 is close to the large side wall 102, and the other opening flap 23 is close to the other large side wall 103. This latter configuration is particularly advantageous because it allows the removable area 21 to be easily removed by acting on the opening flap 23 no matter how the package 100 is held.

[0087] The method for manufacturing the package 100 including the single containing shell 10 according to the present invention includes the following steps.

[0088] In an initial shaping step, the cover sheet 110 is shaped to create the containment shell 10. In particular, a closed contour C defining the removable area 21 during use is cut out on the central panel 111 and on the first and second large panels 112 and 113. In addition, an additional contour defining the opening flap 23 is cut out in the removable area 21.

[0089] Subsequently, in the first folding step ( Figure 6 ), the wrapping sheet 110 formed in this way is first folded into a "U" shape and symmetrically placed in the center of the group of smoking articles 200 so as to cover the latter from three sides. In particular, the central panel 111 is arranged to contact the mouth end 201 of the smoking article 200, while the first and second large panels 112 and 113 are arranged to contact the side surface 203 of the smoking article 200. In this step, the central cover sheet 119, the rear side cover sheets 115a and 116a, the front side cover sheets 115b and 116b, the rear and front small cover sheets 117a and 117b and the corresponding corner cover sheets 120 protrude relative to the organic group of smoking articles 200; in particular, the rear and front small cover sheets 117a and 117b protrude relative to the rear end 202 of the smoking article 200.

[0090] Subsequently, in the second folding step ( Figure 7), the central cover sheet 119 is folded simultaneously against the organic group of smoking articles 200, thereby defining the upper wall 11. By such folding, corresponding internal upper triangular folds 122 are created on the rear side cover sheets 115a, 116a and the front side cover sheets 115b, 116b.

[0091] Then, in the third folding step ( Figure 8 ), the rear small cover sheet 117a is folded against the rear end 202 of the smoking article 200, and then the front small cover sheet 117b is folded against the rear small cover sheet 117a, thereby defining the lower wall 17.

[0092] Then, in the fourth folding step ( Fig. 9 ), the corner cover sheets 120 are simultaneously folded against the organic group of smoking articles 200. By such folding, an inner lower triangular fold 123 is created on the rear cover sheets 115a, 116a and the front cover sheets 115b, 116b, with the result that each rear cover sheet 115a, 116a and the front cover sheet 115b, 116b has an isosceles trapezoidal shape.

[0093] Then, in the fifth and final folding step ( Fig.10 ), the rear cover sheets 115a, 116a are folded simultaneously against the organic group of the smoking article 200, thereby defining the first large wall 112, and then the front cover sheets 115b, 116b are folded simultaneously against the already folded rear cover sheets 115a, 116a, thereby defining the second large wall 13 and also the side walls 15 and 16.

[0094] In this way, a containing housing 10 is created in which the wall in contact with the mouth end 201 of the smoking article 200, ie the upper wall 11, is advantageously not folded.

[0095] In order to form and produce the package 100, a subsequent insertion step is provided, in which the inner containment shell 10 thus produced is inserted into the outer containment body 101 ( Fig.11 ), so as to leave the upper wall 11 ( Figure 1 and 2 ), thereby leaving at least the first portion 21a of the removable area 21 exposed to the consumer's view.

[0096] We wish to clarify that the operations of folding the wrapping sheet 110 to produce the containment shell 10 and inserting the latter into the containment body 101 to form the package 100 are carried out by suitable mechanical means of known type, Figures 6 to 11 It is schematically indicated by arrow F in FIG.

[0097] We must also clarify that Fig.12 and Fig.13The embodiment of the package 100 shown in FIG. 1 (wherein the package 100 comprises two containing shells 10) can also be obtained by the above method. In fact, in order to produce each containing shell 10, the operation sequence of folding the wrapping sheet 110 is the same as that of the reference Figures 6 to 11 The operation sequence is the same, only the size of the wrapper sheet 110 is changed, and of course the number and arrangement of the smoking articles 200 contained in each accommodating shell 10 are also changed.

[0098] Obviously, modifications and / or additions of components and steps may be made to the package 100 and the method described above, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

[0099] For example, according to other embodiments of the present invention (not shown in the drawings), the removable area 21 can be provided in any area of ​​the upper wall 11 of the accommodating housing 10 .

[0100] It is also obvious that, although the invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person skilled in the art will be able to realize other equivalent forms of internal containing shells for packaging of smoking articles, which have the characteristics as described in the claims and therefore fall within the scope of protection defined therein.

[0101] In the following claims, references in parentheses are for the sole purpose of facilitating reading and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A soft package (100) of a smoking article (200), comprising an inner accommodating shell (10) and an outer accommodating body (101) for holding the smoking article (200) together, the inner accommodating shell (10) comprising a wrapping sheet (110), the wrapping sheet being formed and folded so as to define an upper wall (11), a first large wall (12) and a second large wall (13) parallel to and opposite to each other, a first side wall (15) and a second side wall (16) opposite to each other and perpendicular to the first and second large walls (12, 13), and a lower wall (17) parallel to the upper wall (11) and arranged on the opposite side of the upper wall relative to the smoking article (200), thereby forming the accommodating shell (110). 0), the outer containing body (101) has a substantially parallelepiped shape and is provided with two large side walls (102, 103) and two small side walls (105, 106), the two large side walls (102, 103) and the two small side walls (105, 106) are arranged to laterally cover the inner containing shell (10) so that at least a portion of the upper wall (11) of the inner containing shell (10) is exposed, so that the upper wall (11) can be directly touched by the consumer, wherein the wrapping sheet (110) is folded into a "U" shape so that the upper wall (11) between the first and second large walls (12, 13) is located at a position of the wrapping sheet (110) without overlapping parts, characterized in that, The upper wall (11) comprises a removable area (21), which is defined by a closed contour (C) precut on the wrapping sheet (110) and is configured to be removable to leave an orifice through which the smoking article (200) can be extracted, wherein at least one first portion (21a) of the closed contour (C) is arranged on at least one exposed portion of the upper wall (11).

2. The package (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The upper wall (11) is delimited by two small upper edges (19) and two large upper edges (20).

3. The package (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that The at least one first portion (21a) of the removable area (21) extends transversely between the two large upper edges (20).

4. The package (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The removable area (21) further comprises at least one second portion (21b) formed on at least one of the first or second large walls (12, 13) or corresponding to at least one of the first or second side walls (15, 16).

5. The package (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that The removable area (21) comprises two second portions (21b) made in mirror image on the first and second large walls (12, 13).

6. The package (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that The two second parts (21b) formed in a mirror-image manner on the first and second large walls (12, 13) are identical to each other.

7. The package (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The removable area (21) is provided with at least one opening cover sheet (23), which is defined by an additional contour precut on the covering sheet (110) and is completely arranged within the closed contour (C), so that the precut additional contour of the at least one opening cover sheet (23) and the precut closed contour (C) of the removable area (21) are not connected, and the opening cover sheet (23) is configured to be grasped and lifted relative to the surrounding removable area (21) to facilitate complete removal of the removable area (21).

8. The package (100) according to claim 7, when it refers to claim 2, characterized in that: The opening cover piece (23) is manufactured so that one side thereof is adjacent to an upper edge selected from the two large upper edges (20) or the two small upper edges (19).

9. The package (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that The additional pre-cut contour defining the at least one opening flap (23) is configured to be folded along an upper edge adjacent thereto.

10. The package (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that It comprises two containing shells (10), each of which is made of its own wrapping sheet (110), wherein the two containing shells (10) are arranged side by side with each other so that one of the first or second side walls (15, 16) of one containing shell (10) contacts the other of the second or first side walls (16, 15) of the other containing shell (10), and the upper wall (11) of each containing shell (10) comprises the removable area (21) accordingly, so that the smoking article (200) contained in each containing shell (10) can be touched by the consumer.

11. An internal accommodating shell (10) for holding a smoking article (200) together, comprising a wrapper sheet (110), the wrapper sheet being formed and folded to define an upper wall (11), a first large wall (12) and a second large wall (13) parallel to and opposite to each other, a first side wall (15) and a second side wall (16) opposite to each other and perpendicular to the first and second large walls (12, 13), and a lower wall (17) parallel to the upper wall (11) and arranged on the opposite side of the upper wall relative to the smoking article (200), the upper wall (11) being defined by two small upper edges (19) and two large upper edges (20), wherein the wrapper sheet (110) is folded into a "U" shape so that the upper wall (11) between the first and second large walls (12, 13) is in a position where there is no overlapping portion of the wrapper sheet (110), characterized in that The upper wall (11) comprises a removable area (21), which is defined by a closed contour (C) precut on the wrapper sheet (110) and is configured to be removable to leave an orifice through which the smoking article (200) can be extracted, and is characterized in that the removable area (21) comprises a first portion (21a) extending laterally between the two large upper edges (20) and at least one second portion (21b) made on the first or second large wall (12, 13), and is characterized in that the removable area (21) is adjacent to or in contact with one of the two small upper edges (19) and is therefore positioned asymmetrically in the upper wall (11).

12. The inner accommodating shell (10) according to claim 11, characterized in that: The removable area (21) is provided with at least one opening cover sheet (23), which is defined by an additional contour precut on the covering sheet (110) and is completely arranged within the closed contour (C), so that the additional precut contour of the at least one opening cover sheet (23) and the precut closed contour (C) of the removable area (21) are not connected, and the opening cover sheet (23) is configured to be grasped and lifted relative to the surrounding removable area (21) to facilitate complete removal of the removable area (21).

13. A method for manufacturing a soft package (100) of smoking articles (200), the soft package (100) comprising an inner containment shell (10) for holding the smoking articles (200) together and an outer containment body (101), the outer containment body (101) having a substantially parallelepiped shape and provided with two large side walls (102, 103) and two small side walls (105, 106) arranged to cover the containment shell (10), wherein: In order to manufacture the accommodating shell (10), the method comprises a molding step and a plurality of folding steps, wherein a substantially flat wrapping sheet (110) is first molded and then folded into a sheet defining an upper wall (11), a first large wall (12) and a second large wall (13) parallel to and opposite to each other, a first side wall (15) and a second side wall (16) opposite to each other and perpendicular to the large walls (12, 13), and a lower wall (17) parallel to the upper wall (11) and arranged on the opposite side of the upper wall relative to the smoking article (200), wherein in the molding step, it is provided that the upper wall (11) between the first and second large walls (12, 13) is a non-overlapping portion of the wrapping sheet (110), and the The first large wall (12) and the second large wall (13) extend from the upper wall (11) so as to contact the side surface (202) of the smoking article (200), characterized in that a closed contour (C) defining a removable area (21) is cut out on the upper wall (11) of the wrapping sheet (110), and the removable area (21) is configured to be removable so as to leave an orifice through which the smoking article (200) can be extracted, and characterized in that the method includes an insertion step, in which the internal containing shell (10) is inserted into the containing body (101) so that the upper wall (11) of the containing shell (10) is exposed, so that the removable area (21) can be directly touched by a consumer.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that During the forming step, the closed contour (C) is cut so that the removable area (21) includes at least one first portion (21a) extending laterally between the two large upper edges (20) of the upper wall (11) and at least one second portion (21b) made corresponding to at least one of the first or second large walls (12, 13) or corresponding to one of the first or second side walls (15, 16).

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that In the forming step, an additional contour is cut out on the covering sheet (110) completely within the closed contour (C), the additional contour is arranged not to be connected to the closed contour (C), and the additional contour defines an opening cover sheet (23) of the removable area (21).

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