Pack for smoking articles with a hinged lid and provided with a wrap

Abstract

A pack (1) for smoking articles having: a group (19) of smoking articles; a wrap (3) with a parallelepiped shape, which encloses the group (19) of smoking articles, consists of a wrapping sheet (24) wrapping the group (19) of smoking articles and has a removable portion (25) at least partially delimited by an incision (26), which is made through the wrapping sheet (24) and defines a tearing line; a container (2), which is cup-shaped, has an open upper end and accommodates the sealed wrap (3); a lid (4), which is cup-shaped and is hinged to the container (2); and a collar (14), which is fixed inside the container (2) so as to partially project out of the open upper end. The collar (14) has a tearable element (28), which is connected to the rest of the collar (14), so that it can be separated therefrom by tearing, along at least one tearable connection line (29) and is permanently and firmly fixed to the removable portion (25) of the sealed wrap (3) so that, by separating the tearable element (28) from the collar (14), the removable portion (25) of the sealed wrap (3) is simultaneously removed as well.

Description

[0001] “PACK FOR SMOKING ARTICLES WITH A HINGED LID AND PROVIDED WITH A WRAP”

[0002] Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0003] This Patent Application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102023000016263 filed on August 1, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Technical Field

[0005] The present invention relates to a pack for smoking articles with a hinged lid and provided with a preferably sealed wrap.

[0006] The present invention is advantageously applied to the manufacturing of a pack for cigarettes provided with a sealed wrap, to which the following disclosure will explicitly refer without thereby losing generality.

[0007] Prior Art

[0008] Packs for cigarettes with a hinged lid are the most widespread packs for cigarettes currently on the market as they are simple to manufacture, easy and practical to use, and offer good protection to the cigarettes contained on their inside.

[0009] A pack for cigarettes with a hinged lid comprises a wrap consisting of a group of cigarettes wrapped in a wrapping sheet and an outer casing which accommodates the wrap. The outer casing consists of a cup- shaped container, which accommodates the wrap containing the group of cigarettes, and a lid, which is also cup-shaped and is hinged to the container.

[0010] In a traditional pack for cigarettes, the group of cigarettes is wrapped in a rectangular wrapping sheet made of metallic paper without glue. Such type of pack results to be easily recyclable but it does not allow preserving the integrity of the tobacco of the cigarettes. In order to preserve the integrity of the tobacco of the cigarettes, it has been proposed to manufacture a sealed (waterproof) wrap consisting of a wrapping sheet made of paper material rendered waterproof and heat- sealable and which has an extraction opening for extracting the cigarettes closed by a reusable closing label made of a plastic material. Such type of pack allows preserving the tobacco of the cigarettes, but it results to be more difficult to recycle as a separation of the materials is required by the smoker (namely once the smoker has used up the pack for cigarettes, said smoker should separate the closing label from the rest of the sealed wrap).

[0011] Patent applications WO2016001826 Al and WO2023079447A1 describe a pack for cigarettes wherein a wrap which encloses a group of cigarettes has at the top and at the front a lift-up portion which is separated from the rest of the wrap by a pre-weakened separation line and is torn upon the first opening of the lid.

[0012] Description of the Invention

[0013] The object of the present invention is to provide a pack for smoking articles with a hinged lid and provided with a preferably sealed wrap, said pack allowing preserving the tobacco of the cigarettes, having a greater environmental sustainability and, simultaneously, being simple and intuitive to use.

[0014] In accordance with the present invention, a pack for smoking articles with a hinged lid and provided with a preferably sealed wrap is provided, according to what claimed in the appended claims.

[0015] The claims describe embodiments of the present invention forming integral part of the present description.

[0016] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate some non-limiting example embodiments, wherein:

[0018] • Figure 1 is a front perspective view in a closed configuration of a rigid pack for cigarettes;

[0019] • Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the pack for cigarettes of Figure 1 in a closed configuration;

[0020] • Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the pack for cigarettes of Figure 1 in an open configuration;

[0021] • Figure 4 is a front perspective view of a sealed wrap of the pack of Figure 1 ;

[0022] • Figure 5 is a perspective view of a group of cigarettes contained in the sealed wrap of Figure 4;

[0023] • Figure 6 is a perspective view of a reinforcing element coupled to the group of cigarettes of Figure 5 and contained in the sealed wrap of Figure 4;

[0024] • Figure 7 is a plan view without folds of a variation of the reinforcing element of Figure 6;

[0025] • Figure 8 is a plan view of a wrapping sheet used for making the sealed wrap of Figure 4;

[0026] • Figure 9 is a front perspective view of a variation of the sealed wrap of Figure 4;

[0027] • Figure 10 is a plan view of a collar of the pack for cigarettes of Figure 1;

[0028] • Figures 11, 12 and 13 are respective variations of the collar of Figure 10;

[0029] • Figure 14 is a plan view of a blank used to make a container provided with a hinged lid of the pack for cigarettes of Figure 1 ;

[0030] • Figures 15-18 schematically illustrate some manufacturing steps of the pack for cigarettes of Figure 1.

[0031] Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

[0032] In Figures 1, 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 indicates, as a whole, a rigid pack for cigarettes with a hinged lid. The pack 1 for cigarettes comprises a cup-shaped container 2 made of cardboard or rigid paperboard and a sealed wrap 3 (partially illustrated in Figure 3 and completely illustrated in Figure 4) with a parallelepiped shape and accommodated inside the container 2.

[0033] The container 2 has an open upper end and is provided with a lid 4, which is cup-shaped and is hinged to the container 2 along a hinge 5 (illustrated in Figure 2) for rotating, with respect to the container 2, between an open position (illustrated in Figure 3) and a closed position (illustrated in Figures 1 and 2) of the open upper end. The container 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape oriented according to a vertical development direction, is cup-shaped, and has the upper end open, a bottom wall 6 opposite the open upper end, a front wall 7 and a rear wall 8 (in which the hinge 5 is made) parallel to and opposite each other, and two side walls 9 parallel to and opposite each other.

[0034] The lid 4 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, is cup-shaped, and has an open lower end (facing the open upper end of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position), an upper wall 10 (which is parallel to and opposite the lower wall 6 of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position), a front wall 11 (which is parallel to and aligned with the front wall 7 of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position), a rear wall 12 (which is parallel to and aligned with the rear wall 8 of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position and is hinged to the rear wall 8 of the container 2 along the hinge 5), and two side walls 13 parallel to and opposite each other (which are parallel to and aligned with, in particular coplanar and adjacent to, the side walls 9 of the container 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed position).

[0035] According to what is illustrated in Figures 3 and 10, the pack 1 for cigarettes comprises a collar 14, which is fixed (normally by means of gluing) inside the container 2 so as to partially project out of the open upper end and engage a corresponding inner surface of the lid 4 when the lid 4 is arranged in the mentioned closed position.

[0036] The collar 14 comprises a front wall 15 which is superimposed and glued to the front wall 7 of the container 2 and two side walls 16 which are folded at 90° relative to the front wall 15 and are superimposed and glued to the side walls 9 of the container 2. The front wall 15 of the collar 14 has a window 17 which is arranged at the top, is “U”-shaped, is delimited by an edge 18 and exposes an upper area of the front wall of the sealed wrap 3. In the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying figures, the collar 14 comprises only the front wall 15 and the two side walls 16; according to other embodiments, the collar 14 also comprises two (small) rear walls, each of which is connected to a respective side wall 16, is folded at 90° relative to the respective side wall 16, and is laid against (and possibly glued to) the rear wall 8 of the container 2.

[0037] The collar 14 has the function to hold the lid 4 in the closed position with a certain force so as to prevent undesired openings of the lid 4; such “locking” function of the lid 4 in the closed position is carried out thanks to the fact that when the lid 4 is in the closed position, the collar 14 partially projects from the open end of the container 2 and thus engages a corresponding inner surface of the lid 4: in this manner, in order to open the lid 4 it is necessary to elastically and slightly deform the lid 4 and / or the collar 14 and it is thus necessary to apply a certain force to the lid 4 in order to open the lid 4. According to embodiments illustrated in the accompanying figures, the front wall 15 of the collar 14 is provided with a pair of claws which laterally project for engaging with interference the lid 4 when the lid 4 is in the closed position so as to hold with greater force the lid 4 in the closed position. According to a different embodiment not illustrated, the front wall 15 of the collar 14 is without the claws.

[0038] According to what is illustrated in Figure 5, the sealed wrap 3 contains a group 19 of cigarettes composed of twenty filter cigarettes arranged on three layers; according to other embodiments not illustrated, the group 19 of cigarettes could comprise a different number of cigarettes and / or a different arrangement of the cigarettes.

[0039] According to what is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the sealed wrap 3 also contains a reinforcing element 20 which is in direct contact with the group 19 of cigarettes and envelopes the group 19 of cigarettes. The reinforcing element 20 is made of cardboard or rigid paperboard (totally similar to the carboard or rigid paperboard of which the container 2 is made), is “U”-shaped and comprises a front wall 21 with a rectangular shape, which is arranged in contact with a front wall of the group 19 of cigarettes and a pair of side walls 22, which are connected to the opposite sides of the front wall 21 and are arranged in contact with the side walls of the group 19 of cigarettes. The front wall 21 has a window 23 which is arranged at the top, is “U”-shaped, and facilitates the extraction of the cigarettes from the group 19 of cigarettes as it exposes an upper area of the front wall of the group 19 of cigarettes.

[0040] According to a different embodiment, the sealed wrap 3 is without the reinforcing element 20.

[0041] According to what is illustrated in Figure 4, the sealed wrap 3 has a parallelepiped shape, encloses the group 19 of cigarettes, and consists of a wrapping sheet 24 (illustrated in Figure 8) wrapping the group 19 of cigarettes and is made of paper material rendered heat-sealable and waterproof; consequently, all the components of the pack 1 for cigarettes are made of paper material and can thus be disposed in the same waste collection container for being recycled together. In particular, the wrapping sheet 24 has a rectangular shape, comprises at least one layer of airproof and heat-sealable plastic (or bioplastic) material, is folded in a known manner around the group 19 of cigarettes, and is (preferably) stabilized by means of heat-sealing (by heat-sealing the superimposed portions of the wrapping sheet 24) in order to make the sealed wrap 3 hermetically sealed (namely airproof).

[0042] The sealed wrap 3 comprises a removable portion 25 at least partially delimited by an incision 26 which is made through the wrapping sheet 24 and defines a tearing line; the incision 26 is a non-through incision, namely does not completely pass through the thickness of the wrapping sheet 24 and which thus preserves the waterproofness of the wrapping sheet 24.

[0043] Having to allow a complete separation of the removable portion 25 from the rest of the sealed wrap 3 (namely, upon the first opening of the lid 4, the removable portion 25 is completely separated from the rest of the sealed wrap 3 not holding any residual connection point with the rest of the sealed wrap 3), the incision 26 preferably has a closed shape for delimiting the removable portion 25 on all sides. Alternatively, the removable portion 25 can be partially delimited by the tearable incision 26 which has an open shape and partially by a separation line which does not have residual connection points to be torn (namely by a definitive and complete cut from the very beginning); the separation line joins the two ends of the tearable incision 26 having an open shape so that, upon the first opening of the lid 4, a complete separation of the removable portion 25 from the rest of the sealed wrap 3 occurs.

[0044] According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the sealed wrap 3 which encloses the group 2 of cigarettes is made by folding the rectangular wrapping sheet 24 around the group 19 of cigarettes making a transverse sealing fin (not illustrated) arranged in the area of a rear wall of the sealed wrap 3 and two longitudinal sealing fins 27 (only one of which is illustrated) which are arranged in the area of two side walls of the sealed wrap 3; in particular, the rectangular wrapping sheet 24 is initially folded making the transverse fin so as to form a tube having two open ends in the area of the side walls and thus each tubular open end is closed by making a respective longitudinal sealing fin 27. According to an alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 9, the sealed wrap 3 which encloses the group 2 of cigarettes is made by folding the rectangular wrapping sheet 24 so as to initially form a tube having two open ends in the area of the upper wall and lower wall and thus closing each tubular open end according to the traditional “soap fold". According to a variation not illustrated, the sealed wrap 3 which encloses the group 2 of cigarettes is made by folding the rectangular wrapping sheet 24 so as to initially form a tube having two open ends in the area of the side walls and thus closing each tubular open end according to the traditional “soap fold".

[0045] According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 and 9, the removable portion 25 extends in part of a front wall and in (a more or less wide) part of an upper wall of the sealed wrap 3. According to other embodiments not illustrated, the removable portion 25 extends in wider portions of the upper wall of the sealed wrap 3 and the removable portion 25 can even extend to the entire extension of the upper wall of the sealed wrap 3. According to a further embodiment not illustrated, the removable portion 25 only extends in the upper wall of the sealed wrap 3. According to a different embodiment not illustrated, the removable portion 25 extends to an upper area of the sealed wrap 3, namely completely affects an upper area of the sealed wrap 3; consequently, the removable portion 25 extends in part of a front wall, in part of the side walls and in the whole upper wall of the sealed wrap 3 (in this embodiment the two longitudinal sealing fins 27 can externally have through cuts in the area of the incision 26 for favouring the breaking of the wrapping sheet 24 in the area of the two longitudinal sealing fins 27 in which the wrapping sheet 24 is superimposed and thus thicker and more resistant).

[0046] According to what is illustrated in Figures 3 and 10, the collar 14 comprises a tearable element 28 which is connected to the rest of the collar 14 so that it can be separated therefrom by tearing and thus is connected to the rest of the collar 14 along two tearable connection lines 29 which are pre-weakened. The tearable element 28 is permanently and firmly fixed to the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 so that, by separating the tearable element 28 from the collar 14, the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 is simultaneously removed as well (thus determining the opening of the sealed wrap 3); namely, the tearable element 28 carries with it also the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 and thus by removing the tearable element 28 also the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 is removed (thus determining the opening of the sealed wrap 3).

[0047] Preferably, the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 is glued in a permanent manner (namely in a manner which cannot be separated except by a destructive tearing during a dismantling of the pack 1 for cigarettes) to the tearable element 28 by means of glue 30 (illustrated in Figures 4 and 9). Alternatively, the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 could be heat-sealed to the tearable element 28.

[0048] According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 10, the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 is arranged within the window 17 of the front wall 15 and thus the two tearable connection lines 29 are arranged along the edge 18 of the window 17. Under the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 (namely between the tearable element 28 and the rest of the collar 14) there is an empty space (namely a hole, a through opening) which allows a user to have an easy grip with two fingers of the tearable element 28 of the collar 14: once the lid 4 is open, the user easily and intuitively inserts a finger in the empty space (namely in the hole, in the through opening) which is located under the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 for firmly grabbing the tearable element 28 from the bottom and thus proceed with a quick and safe upward tear of the tearable element 28. Alternatively, the user could grab the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 from the top instead of from the bottom.

[0049] Summarizing, upon the first opening of the lid 4, the user grabs and tears the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 which drags the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 with it (thus determining the opening of the sealed wrap 3); in fact, the removal of the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 determines the creation in the sealed wrap 3 of an extraction opening for extracting the cigarettes of the group 19 of cigarettes which affects part of the front wall of the sealed wrap 3 and part of the upper wall of the sealed wrap 3. The empty space (namely the hole, the through opening) present under the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 allows the user to grab from the bottom the tearable element 28 (by inserting a finger inside the empty space) and thus pull upwards the tearable element 28 so as to completely tear the tearable element 28.

[0050] According to a possible embodiment, the lower edge of the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 could comprise an appendix (for example with a rounded shape) which projects downwards; such appendix helps and invites the user to grab the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 from the bottom.

[0051] In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 10, the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 is coplanar to the front wall 15 of the collar 14 and is completely located within the window 17 of the collar 14 and thus only extends in the area of the front wall of the sealed wrap 3. In this embodiment, two twin connection lines 29 are provided arranged along the edge 18 of the window 17.

[0052] In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 11, the collar 14 also comprises two (small) rear walls, each of which is connected to a respective side wall 16.

[0053] In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 12, the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 comprises a front part 31 which is coplanar to the front wall 15 of the collar 14 and is located within the window 17 of the collar 14 and an upper part 32 which is perpendicular to the front part 31 (thus is perpendicular both to the front wall 15 of the collar 14, and to the side walls 16 of the collar 14) and is connected to the front part 31 along a transverse pre-weakened folding line; both parts 31 and 32 of the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 are glued (obviously in different areas) to the underlying removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3: the front part 31 of the tearable element 28 only extends in the area of the front wall of the sealed wrap 3, whereas the upper part 32 of the tearable element 28 only extends in the area of the upper wall of the sealed wrap 3. In this embodiment, two twin connection lines 29 are provided arranged along the edge 18 of the window 17.

[0054] In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 13, the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 is perpendicular both to the front wall 15 of the collar 14, and to the side walls 16 of the collar 14 and only extends in the area of the upper wall of the sealed wrap 3. In this embodiment, one single connection line 29 is provided arranged along an edge of a side wall 16.

[0055] In Figure 14 a blank 33 is illustrated which is folded around the sealed wrap 3 (around which the collar 14 has been folded in advance) for forming the container 2 and the lid 4. According to what is illustrated in Figures 15-18, the manufacturing of the pack 1 for cigarettes provides for coupling, in a first feeding station, the sealed wrap 3 to the collar 14 and such operation is performed by inserting the sealed wrap 3 into a pocket 34 of a wrapping wheel (as is illustrated in Figure 15) and by subsequently coupling, in a second feeding station arranged downstream of the first feeding station, the rubberized (namely provided with some strips or points of glue 30 in the area of the tearable element 28 which is located in the front wall 15) flat (i.e. plane) collar 14 to the pocket 34 holding the collar 14 at a non-zero distance from the sealed wrap 3 (as is illustrated in Figure 16); namely, during the coupling of the collar 14 to the pocket 34, the collar 14 is held (relatively) far from the sealed wrap 3 so as to prevent a direct contact between the collar 14 and the sealed wrap 3. In other words, the coupling of the flat collar 14 to the sealed wrap 3 provides for arranging the flat collar 14 facing the front wall of the sealed wrap 3 (carried by the pocket 34 of a wrapping wheel) holding them at a non-zero distance (for example several mm). Such arrangement assures that there is no sliding of the glue 30 applied in the area of the tearable element 28.

[0056] Subsequently, the collar 14 is laid against, i.e. brought into contact with, the sealed wrap 3 (with a movement perpendicular to the front wall 15 of the collar 14 and perpendicular to the front wall of the sealed wrap 3) so that the front wall 15 of the collar 14 adheres, with the interposition of the glue 30, to the front wall of the sealed wrap 3 (as is illustrated in Figure 17); in this manner, the tearable element 28 which is located in the front wall 15 of the collar 14 adheres to the removable portion 25 which is located in the front wall of the sealed wrap 3.

[0057] Finally, the sealed wrap 3 is extracted from the pocket 34 and inserted in a further wrapping pocket (not illustrated) causing the collar 14 to be “U”-folded around itself (as is illustrated in Figure 18).

[0058] In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 15-18, the glue 30 is initially applied to the collar 14 (in the area of the tearable element 28) whereas, according to an alternative embodiment not illustrated, the glue 30 is initially applied to the sealed wrap 3 (in the area of the removable portion 25). Also in such embodiment, the coupling of the flat collar 14 to the sealed wrap 3 provides for arranging the flat collar 14 facing the front wall of the sealed wrap 3 (carried by the pocket 34 of a wrapping wheel) holding them at a nonzero distance (for example several mm). Such arrangement assures that there is no sliding of the glue 30 applied to the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3.

[0059] By operating in this manner it is possible to glue the sealed wrap 3 and the collar 14 to each other (obviously the glue 30 is arranged in the area of the tearable element 28 which is initially integral part of the collar 14 as explained in the foregoing) without the glue 30 being spread in a random and uncontrolled manner between the sealed wrap 3 and the collar 14 (which is to be avoided and which would occur if the collar 14 were coupled to the pocket 34 sliding against the sealed wrap 3).

[0060] In the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying figures, the wrap 3 is sealed and thus is stabilized by means of heat-sealings which assure a hermetic seal; alternatively, the wrap 3 could also be of traditional type and thus consisting of a sheet of folded metallic paper not stabilized (by means of glue or by means of heat-sealings).

[0061] The embodiments described herein can be combined with one another without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0062] In the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying figures, the longitudinal and transverse corners are right comers; alternatively, the longitudinal and / or transverse corners could be rounded or bevelled corners.

[0063] In the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying figures, the pack 1 for cigarettes contains a group 19 of cigarettes; alternatively, the pack 1 for cigarettes can contain any other type of smoking articles such as for example cigars, electric or electronic cigarettes (namely cigarettes that generate an aerosol without combustion), cartridges and refills for electronic cigarettes, new generation cigarettes.

[0064] The pack 1 for cigarettes described above has numerous advantages.

[0065] Firstly, the pack 1 for cigarettes described above has a greater environmental sustainability as the entire sealed wrap 3 is made with one single wrapping sheet 24 consisting of one single paper wrapping material (thus compatible with the wrapping material of which the container 2, the lid 4 and the collar 14 are made); namely, the manufacturing of the sealed wrap 3 requires the use of one single paper wrapping material and thus allows reducing the variety of wrapping materials with respect to a similar known pack 1 for cigarettes provided with a sealed wrap.

[0066] The pack 1 for cigarettes described above preserves the tobacco of the cigarettes as, before the first opening, the sealed wrap 3 seals the group 19 of cigarettes (namely completely insulates the group 19 of cigarettes from the external environment).

[0067] The pack 1 for cigarettes described above has a very simple and intuitive use, as it is totally natural for a user (also without any instructions in advance) to grab the tearable element 28 of collar 14 for pulling the tearable element 28 and thus determining the opening of the sealed wrap 3.

[0068] The pack 1 for cigarettes described above allows the user to verify in a sure and unequivocable manner the integrity of the sealed wrap 3 guaranteeing the user that the pack 1 for cigarettes has never been previously opened; in fact, the presence of the tearable element 28 of the collar 14 also guarantees the presence of the removable portion 25 of the sealed wrap 3 and thus guarantees that the sealed wrap 3 is totally whole and has never been previously opened.

[0069] Finally, the pack 1 for cigarettes described above can be manufactured in a standard packing machine for rigid packs for cigarettes with a hinged lid with very few modifications. Therefore, the production of the pack 1 for cigarettes described above does not require the use of an expensive special (i.e. specially designed for this type of packs for cigarettes) packing machine.

[0070] List of the Reference Numerals of the Figures

[0071] 1 pack for cigarettes

[0072] 2 container

[0073] 3 sealed wrap

[0074] 4 lid

[0075] 5 hinge

[0076] 6 lower wall 7 front wall

[0077] 8 rear wall

[0078] 9 side walls

[0079] 10 upper wall

[0080] 11 front wall

[0081] 12 rear wall

[0082] 13 side walls

[0083] 14 collar

[0084] 15 front wall

[0085] 16 side walls

[0086] 17 window

[0087] 18 edge

[0088] 19 group of cigarettes

[0089] 20 reinforcing element

[0090] 21 front wall

[0091] 22 side walls

[0092] 23 window

[0093] 24 wrapping sheet

[0094] 25 removable portion

[0095] 26 incision

[0096] 27 transverse fins

[0097] 28 tearable element

[0098] 29 connection lines

[0099] 30 glue

[0100] 31 front part

[0101] 32 upper part

[0102] 33 blank

[0103] 34 pocket

Claims

C L A I M S1. A pack (1) for smoking articles comprising: a group (19) of smoking articles; a preferably sealed wrap (3) with a parallelepiped shape, which encloses the group (19) of smoking articles, consists of a wrapping sheet (24) wrapping the group (19) of smoking articles and comprises a removable portion (25) at least partially delimited by an incision (26), which is made through the wrapping sheet (24) and defines a tearing line; a container (2), which is cup- shaped, has an open upper end and accommodates the wrap (3); a lid (4), which is cup-shaped and is hinged to the container (2); and a collar (14), which is fixed inside the container (2) so as to partially project out of the open upper end of the container (2); the pack (1) for smoking articles is characterized in that the collar (14) comprises a tearable element (28), which is connected to the rest of the collar (14), so that it can be separated therefrom by tearing, along at least one tearable connection line (29) and is permanently and firmly fixed to the removable portion (25) of the wrap (3) so that, by separating the tearable element (28) from the collar (14), the removable portion (25) of the wrap (3) is simultaneously removed as well.

2. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to claim 1, wherein the incision (26) delimiting the removable portion (25) is a non-through incision.

3. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the incision (26) has a closed shape so as to delimit the removable portion (25) on all sides.

4. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the removable portion (25) extends in part of a front wall of the wrap (3) and in part of an upper wall of the wrap (3).

5. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to one of the claims from 1 to 4, wherein: the collar (14) comprises a front wall (15) and two side walls (16), which are folded at 90° relative to the front wall (15); the front wall (15) of the collar (14) has a window (17), which is arranged at the top, is “U”-shaped and exposes an upper area of a front wall of the wrap (3); and the tearable element (28) of the collar (14) is at least partially arranged within the window (17) of the front wall (15) of the collar (14).

6. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to claim 5, wherein the tearable element(28) of the collar (14) is connected, by means of two respective tearable connection lines(29), to an edge (18) of the window (17) of the front wall (15) of the collar (14).

7. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to one of the claims from 1 to 6, wherein under the tearable element (28) of the collar (14) there is an empty space, namely a through opening.

8. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to one of the claims from 1 to 7, wherein: the collar (14) comprises a front wall (15) and two side walls (16), which are folded at 90° relative to the front wall (15); and the tearable element (28) of the collar (14) is entirely coplanar to the front wall (15) of the collar (14) and only extends in the area of a front wall of the wrap (3).

9. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to one of the claims from 1 to 7, wherein: the collar (14) comprises a front wall (15) and two side walls (16), which are folded at 90° relative to the front wall (15); and the tearable element (28) of the collar (14) comprises a front part (31), which is coplanar to the front wall (15) of the collar (14) and only extends in the area of a front wall of the wrap (3), and an upper part (32), which is perpendicular to the front part (31) and only extends in the area of an upper wall of the wrap (3).

10. The pack (1) for smoking articles according to one of the claims from 1 to 4, wherein: the collar (14) comprises a front wall (15) and two side walls (16), which are folded at 90° relative to the front wall (15); the tearable element (28) of the collar (14) is entirely perpendicular to the front wall (15) and to the side walls (16) of the collar (14) and only extends in the area of an upper wall of the wrap (3).

11. A method to manufacture the pack (1) for smoking articles according to one of the claims from 1 to 10 and comprising the steps of: inserting, in a first feeding station, the sealed wrap (3) into a pocket (34); previously applying glue (30) on the collar (14) in the area of the tearable element (28) or on the sealed wrap (3) in the area of the removable portion (25); coupling, in a second feeding station, the flat collar (14) to the pocket (34) holding the collar (14) at a non-zero distance from the sealed wrap (3); subsequently laying the collar (14) against the sealed wrap (3) so that the tearable element (28) of the collar (14) adheres, with the interposition of the glue (30), to the removable portion (25) of the sealed wrap (3); and extracting the sealed wrap (3) from the pocket (34), thus causing the collar (14) to be “U”- folded around the sealed wrap (3).

Images