The invention relates to a pack made of (thin) cardboard or similar packaging material for accommodating piece-form or granular pack contents, in particular chewing tobacco or chewing-tobacco substitute, so-called snus portions.
The pack should be user friendly for the intended application area. Furthermore, it is sought to provide a higher level of sealing for the pack in relation to losses in respect of moisture and flavor. It should also be possible for the pack to be produced with low material outlay on high-performance packaging machines.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to propose differently embodied packs which meet the above requirements.
In order to achieve this object, the pack according to the invention is characterized by the following features:
a) an outer pack comprises at least a base part or box part and a pivotable and/or displaceable closure part or lid,
b) an insert or covering part comprising a separate blank is arranged in the outer pack for the purpose of partially enclosing an interior of the outer pack,
c) the covering part extends at least along a front side or a removal side of the outer pack, the removal side of the outer pack being at least partially covered by the covering part,
d) a front side of the covering part, this front side then being directed towards the removal side of the outer pack, in other words a covering front wall, has an opening or an aperture which is closed all the way round or a window for the removal of pack contents from the outer pack.
According to an independent alternative, the outer pack has arranged in it an inner pack which is made of sheet material or the like, is closed all the way round and accommodates the pack contents. The inner pack has a removal opening which can be closed by a pull-off closure flap, is arranged in the region of the aperture or of the window of the covering part and can thus be actuated when the outer pack is open.
Two basic concepts are envisaged for the outer pack: in the case of a first embodiment, the pack contents are arranged directly in the outer pack and, in the region of the closure side, are covered merely by the covering part with window for the removal of the contents. In the case of the alternative, the pack contents are arranged in a preferably closed inner pack and the latter is inserted into the outer pack, likewise having a covering part with window, which is provided in the region of a removal opening of the inner pack.
In the simplest embodiment, the covering part, which comprises a separate blank, is a collar of a pack of the hinge-lid-box type. A covering part is advantageously provided at least with a covering front wall which covers a front side or the removal side of the outer pack over the entire surface area and has a window at a suitable location for the removal of the pack contents when the outer pack is open. The covering part may also be designed such that it completely encloses the inner pack or the interior of the outer pack, that is to say it forms an independent pack which is closed predominantly or all the way round.
Further details relating to construction, handling and production of the packs can be gathered from the following description for the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:
The packs illustrated as exemplary embodiments are intended preferably for accommodating piece-form pack contents, in particular for accommodating pieces of chewing tobacco (snus).
The differently configured exemplary embodiments all comprise an outer pack 10 and a covering part 12 which is made of a separate blank and is arranged in the outer pack 10 at least on the front side, that is to say in the region of a pack front side or in the region of an open side. The outer pack 10 and covering part 12 preferably consist of (thin) cardboard. The covering part 12 may be designed in various ways, in the simplest embodiment as a front collar (in the case of a hinge-lid box), but preferably as a three-dimensional folded structure which fills an interior of the outer pack 10. The covering part 12 is preferably provided at least with a covering wall or covering front wall which covers an interior of the outer pack 10 and has an aperture or a window for access to the interior of the outer pack 10. The aperture or the window serves for the removal of the pack contents.
The pack contents may be arranged directly in the outer pack 10 or within the covering part 12, which is folded as an inner part of the outer pack 10. As an alternative, an inner pack 11 is provided to accommodate the pack contents. The inner pack 11 may be designed in various ways. In the case of the present exemplary embodiments, the inner pack 11 comprises a sealed sheet-material bag 13 embodied as a tubular bag with mutually opposite closure seams 14. The latter are designed as fin seams. The inner pack 11, which is more or less cuboidal, is preferably dimensioned so as to more or less completely fill an interior of the outer pack 10. The inner pack 11 has a large-surface-area inner front wall 15 and a correspondingly designed inner rear wall 16 located opposite. These walls are connected to one another by elongate, relatively narrow inner side walls 17, 18. Furthermore, the inner pack 11 is bounded by transversely directed inner end walls 19, 20, the closure seams 14 being formed in the region thereof.
For the removal of the pack contents, the inner pack 11 or the sheet-material bag 13 has a removal opening 21. The latter is likewise sealed closed in its original state, to be precise by an opening piece 22 of the material of the inner pack 11. The opening piece 22 is bounded by a weakening line which runs preferably all the way round, in this case by a closed perforation line 23. In order to create the removal opening 21, the opening piece 22 is severed from its connection to the sheet material of the inner pack 11.
In order to open the inner pack 11 for the first time, and for repeated opening and reclosure, a closure flap 24 is fitted on the outside of the inner pack 11. This closure flap comprises a separate blank, preferably likewise made of a sheet material. The closure flap 24 is connected to the inner pack 11 by adhesive bonding, in particular by full-surface-area adhesive bonding, in the region of the removal opening 21. The opening piece 22 is completely covered by the closure flap 24, to be precise with the formation of a lateral strip-like overlap 25 running preferably all the way round. A grip tab 26 is formed on a periphery of the closure flap 24 which is selected for the easy opening of the inner pack 11. This grip tab is a tongue-like peripheral region of the closure flap 24 and is preferably free of adhesive. For the purpose of opening the inner pack 11 by virtue of the closure flap 24 being pulled off, the grip tab 26 of the latter is gripped. The closure flap 24 is pulled off from the inner pack 11 by being pulled upward. When the pack is opened for the first time, the opening piece 22 is pulled away from its connection to the wall of the inner pack 11. For reclosure, the closure flap 24 is pressed onto the inner pack 11, wherein the lateral overlaps 25, on account of a permanent adhesive, are reconnected to a peripheral region of the inner pack 11 which encloses the removal opening 21.
The position and dimensioning of the removal opening 21 and of the closure flap 24 are geared to the embodiment of the outer pack 10 and of the covering part 12, to be precise such that the closure flap 24 can be used, in particular by virtue of the grip tab 26 being gripped, in an open position of the outer pack 10. The outer pack 10 and inner pack 11 as well as the covering part 12 are coordinated with one another in respect of dimensioning, but also in functional terms, that is to say in design terms. The outer pack 10 basically comprises a base part or box part 27 and a closure part 28, which is designed predominantly as a lid 29.
In the case of the exemplary embodiment according to
In the case of this exemplary embodiment of the inner pack 11, the removal opening 21 extends “around the corner”, that is to say in a region of the inner front wall 15 and upwardly directed, adjacent inner side wall 17. Consequently, the closure flap 24 likewise extends in the region of the inner front wall 15, and of the inner side wall 17 and terminates with a connecting strip 31 on the inner rear wall 16. The closure structure of the inner pack 11, overall, is exposed when the lid 29 is open (
The covering part 12 of this exemplary embodiment of the outer pack 10 is designed as a collar 33 with a collar front wall 34 and collar side tab 35. The closure seams 14 of the sheet-material bag 13 butt, at least in a top region, against the collar side tab 35. On the front side, the removal opening 15 extends, in the region of the bag front wall 34, into a collar depression 36, which is formed on the collar front wall 34 and in the region of which the grip tab 26 is also exposed, that is to say can be gripped.
A blank (
It is also the case in the exemplary embodiment according to
The rectangular inner pack 11 with sheet-material bag 13 is arranged in the outer pack 10 of this exemplary embodiment such that the closure seams 14 are directed upward and downward. The removal opening 21 here is positioned entirely in the region of the inner front wall 15, to be precise at a spacing apart from inner side walls 17, 18 and from the inner end walls 19, 20 with the closure seams 14. The removal opening 21 is positioned eccentrically in a top region of the inner pack 11, to be precise at a spacing above the box front wall 37. The removal opening 21 is covered by a closure flap 24 which extends entirely and exclusively in the region of the inner front wall 15. The closure flap 14 is dimensioned such that it covers over the removal opening 21 in full and is connected, by way of an all-round periphery, to the inner front wall 15 outside the removal opening 21. A grip tab 26 is arranged on the bottom periphery of the closure flap 24.
In the case of this exemplary embodiment, the covering part 12 is designed in a particular manner, that is to say as an intermediate pack, preferably made of thin cardboard. A blank (
The covering part 12 is provided with an aperture or a window 55 in the region of the removal opening 21 of the inner pack 11, that is to say, in this case, in the region of the covering front wall 45. The window 55 is dimensioned such that the closure flap 24 for the removal opening 21 is exposed overall in the region of the covering front wall 45. Arrangement and dimensioning are advantageously such that the grip tab 26 at least has a sub-region butting against the covering front wall 45 outside the window 55 and can thus easily be gripped. When the pack is in the complete state, the grip tab 26 is located in a region between a bottom periphery of the window 55 and a free edge of the box front wall 37. When the lid 29 is closed, the closure mechanism of the inner pack 11 is completely concealed (
A modified embodiment of the pack as a whole is illustrated in
In the case of this variant, the window 55, which is arranged on the covering front wall 45, may be open or, as is shown, covered by a closure flap 24. The latter is fitted in this case on the outside of the covering part 12, that is to say it is fixed thereon by adhesive bonding, in particular by permanent adhesive. The closure flap 24 is dimensioned such that it covers the window 55, including an overlap 25 preferably running all the way round. The grip tab 26 is directed downward, but is exposed when the lid 29 is open. When the pack is opened for the first time, the closure flap 24 can be pulled off altogether or can be fixed in the region of a connecting strip directed toward the covering end wall 48.
A special pack for piece-form pack contents is illustrated in
The base part 27 comprises the box front wall 37, base wall 38 (which, depending on the position of the pack, may also be directed upward) and box rear wall 39. Side tabs and corner tabs are designed, that is to say dimensioned, in a particular way. The box front wall 37 has arranged on it, on both sides, outer tabs 57, 58 which, in respect of the transverse dimensions, correspond to the width of side walls 30 of the outer pack 10. Inner tabs 59, 60 of different widths are provided laterally on the box rear wall 39. An inner tab 59 is designed to be of smaller width than, in particular of approximately half the width of, the associated outer tab 57. The inner tab 60 located opposite is designed to be of the same width as the associated outer tab 58. Corner tabs 61, 62 are provided on the inner tabs 59 and 60. These corner tabs are of the same width or transverse dimensioning as the associated inner tabs 59, 60.
When the outer pack 10 is in the completed state, the base part 27 is such that, in the region of side walls 30, the folded outer tabs 57, 58 extend over the entire width (
The blank part for the closure part 28 comprises a front wall 63, an end wall 64 (which, in an appropriate position, may be the base wall) and a rear wall 65. The latter is connected to the base part 27 via the separating line 56, a perforation line extending merely in the region of the box rear wall 39 and rear wall 65.
Side tabs of the closure part 28 are designed in a particular way. Located opposite one another on the front wall are outer side tabs 66, 67 which extend over the entire length of the front wall 63 and over (approximately) the entire width of the outer pack 10 or of the closure part 28. Side tabs in the region of the rear wall 65 are designed differently from this. On the one side, a narrow inner side tab 68 is provided over the entire length of the rear wall 65. The width of this inner side tab 68 corresponds (approximately) to half the width of the associated outer side tab 66. Opposite, an inner side tab 69 is located on the rear wall 65, this inner side tab 69 being of corresponding design to the side tab 67 in respect of dimensioning. A supplementary tab 70 is arranged on the free side of this inner side tab 69 and delimited by a folding line 71. The supplementary tab 70 is part of means for limiting the relative movements of the closure part 28 of the outer pack 10. For this purpose, a transversely directed nose 72 is provided on the supplementary tab 70 adjacent to the box part or base part 27.
The separating line 56 for dividing the base part 27 from the closure part 28 comprises within the single-piece blank (
The covering part 12 or the blank thereof (
The latter is connected to a connecting strip 77, which is provided opposite on the free periphery of the covering front wall, in order to produce a cross-sectionally closed, sleeve-like pack. Base corner tabs 78 butt against the inside of the covering base 47 and are preferably connected thereto. Located on the free side of the covering base is a connecting flap 79 which, when the covering part 12 is in the completed state, is connected to the covering front wall 45. The covering front wall is provided with a window 55 which is preferably approximately square and is positioned approximately centrally in, that is to say halfway up, the covering front wall 45. In the case of this exemplary embodiment, the closure flap 24 is positioned such that the grip tab 26 is assigned to the fixed base part 27. This makes it possible for the removal opening 21 to be actuated even when the closure part 28 is only partially open.
The blank according to
The pack may be provided with an inner pack 11 of the embodiment described, or of some other embodiment, for the pack contents. This embodiment is illustrated in
The unit made up of the covering part 12 and inner pack 11 is arranged in the outer pack 10 such that the (open) end side located opposite the covering base wall is assigned to the cup-like base part 27. The covering part 12 is anchored preferably in the base part 27, for example by adhesive bonding. The arrangement is such that the connecting strip 77 resting on the outside is located in the top cross-sectional region of the outer pack 10 and thus approximately in the same plane as the inner tab 59 in the region of the base part 27 and the inner side tab 68 in the region of the closure part 28. Once the base part 27 and closure part 28 have been separated, the latter can be displaced on the covering part 12, that is to say out of a closed position according to
In the case of this type of pack, dispensing with an inner pack 11, the pack contents can be arranged directly in the inner part, that is to say the covering part 12, it being possible for this covering part to be of the embodiment described (
As an alternative, the covering part 12, which forms the inner part of the outer pack 10, may be designed in the manner shown in
The pack units described are preferably provided with an outer wrapper (not illustrated) which is made of film and is completely or partially removed by means of tear-open strips when the pack units are opened for the first time. Furthermore, the material of the covering part 12 and/or of the outer pack 10 may be specially treated, in particular specially coated, in order to seal in flavor and moisture. Such packaging material is particularly advantageous for embodiments without an inner pack 11.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2007 030 267.5 | Jun 2007 | DE | national |
This patent application claims the benefit of and is the United States Chapter II National Phase of Patent Cooperation Treaty International Application No. PCT/EP2008/004714 having International Filing Date 12 Jun. 2008, which is based on and claims the benefit of German Patent Application No. 10 2007 030 267.5 having a filing date of 28 Jun. 2007, both of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP08/04714 | 6/12/2008 | WO | 00 | 5/25/2010 |